Only You Can
by MissMJS
Summary: AU: Since the day they met, Sonic and Amy have been there for each other. After all, they're best friends! There's only one problem: she shouldn't be there. Nothing about their situation makes sense, and it only gets more complicated as time goes on. What did she do to deserve this? What would his life be like without her? Like the saying goes, 'nothing lasts forever'...
1. Prologue

**Why hello, dear readers! With my life a little more figured out, I can now start this story! I hope you all enjoy!**

 **Also, the third genre to this is Romance, of course!**

 **I own nothing except the plot.**

* * *

 **Prologue**

Labor Day weekend: the weekend where campers take advantage of their three-day weekend and of the nice weather while it still lasts. People go out, expecting to find a great camping spot and to have a great time before they are locked up in their homes for the winter. Unfortunately, so do others. Many others, leaving the rest no choice but to stay at campgrounds, like one family in particular...

"Hey Mom, check it out! I'm almost at the top!" a young boy's voice calls from a treetop. An older purple hedgehog with violet quills looks up towards the direction of the voice and her green eyes squint against the setting sunlight.

"Sonic the Hedgehog, get down here immediately!" Aleena yells up at her son.

"Oh, come on! I'm being careful!" he argues.

"I said get down!" She shakes her head with a sigh, and she continues to prepare supper. That boy is always up to mischief, most of the time the trouble being way worse than what he's doing now.

A little cobalt blue hedgehog jumps out of the tree and lands on the ground, and with a pout on his muzzle, he complains, "I climb trees at home all the time, though!"

"Well, this is not home, Sonic." his mother explains. "Here there are certain rules, and climbing trees is one of them. Also, it is almost night. You could hurt yourself."

"Well that's no fun," the little hedgehog grumbles and plops down on the ground, ripping grass blades out of the ground from boredom.

"You could go help your father get the firewood." the female hedgehog suggests to her bored, energetic son.

"But that's just work!" Sonic whines.

"Then quit complaining about being bored," she states.

"Ugh." Sonic crosses his arms and looks around him, searching for something he could do. This is why he doesn't like campgrounds; he has no freedom! If it were the normal woods, he could climb all the trees he wants and explore more, but no. Instead, they're camping here, Campground Oak. So original, right? Why did everybody decide to go camping this weekend? Don't they know they're taking all the good spots and messing up his weekend? Obviously not!

"Okay, I've finished gathering the firewood." a dark blue hedgehog huffs as he carries his last armload of firewood over to where the rest is piled up, the sky almost completely devoid of light now.

"Great. Dinner is almost done. It's even your favorite, Sonic." Aleena smiles knowingly at her son. She is well aware of how her son dislikes campsites, but with the day getting later, they had no choice but to settle here for the night.

The little hedgehog's ears perk up, and his emerald-green eyes turn towards his mother with mild interest.

"Does it include chili and hot dogs?"

"Of course."

With a blue streak, Sonic is sitting right besides his mother, peaking into the pot over the fire.

"Is it done yet?" he asks eagerly. She chuckles.

The flash of headlights catches the family's attention as a car parks into campsite 46- next to their campsite- the black vehicle loaded with traditional camping gear.

"Looks like we aren't the only ones who couldn't find a spot." Jules says, his brown eyes following the vehicle. Aleena looks at their pile of wood, then at her husband.

"It's pretty dark out now. Should we give them some of our wood?"

"It'd be the neighborly thing to do," Jules nods. The two older hedgehogs stand up.

"Hey, what about dinner?" Sonic reminds them.

"After we we say hello to the neighbors." Aleena removes the pot from the fire and sets it on a large boulder to cool.  
 _  
'Riiiight. Let's see how long they talk this time,'_ the little speedster thinks to himself as he stands up and reluctantly grabs a couple logs. Why can't adults do as they actually say? They don't just say hello. No, they stand there and talk about boring stuff for a looooong time.

Sonic follows his parents to the neighboring site with his load of wood, yearning for his chili dog.

"Hello?" Jules calls as he and his family enter the dark campsite. A small pile of camp gear is located in the center of the area, and a red hedgehog is seen searching through the pile with a flashlight.

She lifts her head upon hearing Jules, and she smiles.

"Oh, hello!" The female turns her head towards their black car and calls out, "Darren! Amy! We have company!"

"Huh?" The head of a white male hedgehog pops out from behind some bushes near the car. "Oh! Just a sec!"

"They're _always_ getting distracted," the female sighs as her husband and child rush back to the car.

Rustling and Darren's muffled voice is heard as he grabs the rest of the camp gear. As Sonic and his family watch Darren rush to set the rest of the supplies down, they notice a smaller, bubblegum-pink hedgehog following him, her arms also loaded with equipment. Sonic quickly realizes that from her height, she should be close to his age. Maybe he can make a new friend, which would _finally_ give him something to do here.

"There we are. Hello, my name is Darren Rose," the white male smiles as he shakes Jules and Aleena's hands once his arms are free. "This is my wife Vallory," Darren gestures to the red female. "and this is our daughter, Amy."

The jade-eyed hedgehog shyly makes her way around her father, also free of her load of camp gear. Amy straightens out her green shirt, makes sure her orange skirt is still frilled out, and smiles timidly at the hedgehog family. Her smile brightens once she spots Sonic, happy to see another kid around here and to possibly make a new friend. _'He looks friendly.'_

"A pleasure. I am Jules the Hedgehog, my wife Aleena, and our son, Sonic." Sonic's father introduces them, Aleena smiling warmly at the Rose family while Sonic smiles nervously at Amy. What if she doesn't like him?

"We brought you some firewood," Aleena gestures to the small pile she and her family had set down. "It was hard enough finding wood with daylight, so I can only imagine how it would be now that it's dark."

"Why, thank you!" Vallory smiles in appreciation. "Finding a suitable camping spot around here is nearly impossible!" she sighs in exasperation.

"We've discovered that as well." Jules chuckles, he and his family having the same problem.

As their parents start talking, like Sonic knew they would, the young blue hedgehog walks up to Amy.

"Hi," he greets, trying to break the silence.

"Hi," she smiles. _'So far so good.'_

"So, how old are you?"

"I'm seven and in second grade." she nonchalantly says. _'Act calm. He's obviously older, so the last thing you need to do is be immature.'_

"Cool. I'm ten and in fourth grade," he grins, happy she's somewhat close to his age. She's closer than his cousins are anyway, which proves to be annoying at his family's reunions.

"That's nice. You wanna see something my dad and I found just a minute ago?" Amy asks excitedly.

"Sure!" he agrees enthusiastically, finding it hard not to be as energetic as his female companion.

"Come on!" She grabs his hand and pulls him over to some shrubbery nearby. Their parents watch as the two walk off, happy their kids are getting along. Amy crouches down and moves some of the plant life out of the way. She puts her finger up to her mouth in a shushing motion as Sonic approaches, and she whispers, "Look."

Sonic crouches down besides her and peers into the thicket. After his eyes adjust to the darkness, Sonic sees just feet away from them a fawn and its mother curled up and sleeping peacefully.

"Whoa," he breathes, in awe of just how close he and Amy are to the wild animals.

"Isn't the baby cute?" Amy coos. She just loves nature and all its wonders!

"Yeah," Sonic nods. "We should go before we wake them up." The pink girl nods in agreement, and the duo slowly retreat back over to their parents, who are still talking.

"Mom," Sonic interrupts, remembering how hungry he is. "Dinner? Remember?"

With a chuckle, Aleena rolls her eyes and tuns back to Mr. and Mrs. Rose. "Would you all care to come over for dinner? We're having chili dogs, and we have plenty."

"Hmm," Darren looks at his wife, who nods. "Only if we get to supply the s'mores."

"Deal!" Sonic pipes up, making the grown ups laugh.

"Then just grab some chairs and come on over!" Jules smiles at the Rose family, while he and Aleena go back to their camp to prepare dinner.

"Race you there!" Amy yells as she dashes off. As she nears his camp, a burst of wind blasts past her. "Huh?" The pink hedgehog stops abruptly once she sees a smirking Sonic already there.

"How'd you do that? You weren't there a second ago!"

"I'm as fast as the speed of sound." Sonic proudly states. Suddenly, with a blue streak, he's right beside the young female. "See?"

"Gah!" Amy shrieks and she puts her hand against her chest to steady her heartbeat. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry," he chuckles, not sounding very sincere.

"Sonic, quit bragging and come eat your dinner that you've been begging for," his mother sighs as she sets two plates of chili dogs down on the picnic table for the two youngsters.

"Yes!" the blue speedster cheers, and he zooms over to his plate, immediately beginning to scarf them down. Amy giggles and follows him.

"That boy loves his speed and his chili dogs!" Aleena chuckles as she takes her seat with the rest of the adults around the fire.

"Like how Amy loves her hammer." Vallory and Darren exchange a look and chuckle.

"Pardon? Hammer?" Jules asks with an arched eyebrow.

"Yes, her hammer. You see, when she was four, we were visiting her grandparents, who have a number of random things. Among those things was a hammer. None of us know how it's possible, but she is able to make it disappear and reappear with a snap of her fingers!" Darren exclaims with a snap of his own fingers. "To this day she finds any excuse to use it."

Suddenly, they hear a snap and Sonic exclaim, "Gah!"

"I said don't touch my food!"

They all turn and see Sonic on the ground with Amy looming over him, a large red and yellow piko piko hammer in her hands.

"Amy!" Darren scolds. The young girl grimaces and makes the weapon disappear with a snap.

"I didn't hit him! I was trying to make him leave my food alone!" Amy glares pointedly at Sonic, who grins sheepishly. Vallory turns towards Aleena and Jules.

"See? Every opportunity."

As the adults laugh and continue conversing, Amy helps Sonic, now feeling a bit guilty for scaring him like that.

"Sorry. I got a bit carried away."

"It's all good. That's a cool hammer though! You can just make it come and go?"

"Yep!" Amy snaps, showing her control over her beloved weapon.

"Cool! Can I hold it?"

"You can try." she smirks, remembering how this goes with everyone else. They always insist on holding it...

"Agh!" Sonic yelps as the hammer's weight drags him back down. "Jeez! How heavy is this thing?!" he huffs as he attempts to lift it off the ground. No luck.

"For me, it's super light. It's heavy for everyone else, for some reason." Amy shrugs, and she grabs the hilt, effortlessly lifting up the hammer.

"Just another specialty, I'm sure." Sonic eyes the weapon as it disappears with Amy's snap. Maybe they'll meet again when he is older, then he'll definitely take that thing down! Or, as he should say, up!

After finishing eating her supper, the pink hedgehog asks with a grin, "You ready for s'mores?"

"What kind of question is that? I'm always ready for s'mores!" Sonic grins back, and the pair dash off to get the supplies, whether their parents are ready or not.

 **XXX**

"Ahh," Sonic sighs as he stretches, slowly awakening from his slumber. This may be a campsite, but it at least has nature's fresh air!

After helping the Roses get their camp set up, his and Amy's families last night stayed up until one in the morning, including him and Amy! They played and played, quietly of course, while the grown ups talked and talked. He really lucked out with having Amy as his neighbor. She is almost as energetic as him and just so cheerful! She also has a quick temper, as he's discovered, but he quickly learned how to avoid that.

He's going to miss her when they leave. The thought dampens his mood, but he shakes it off and decides to see if she's awake yet. They might as well take advantage of the time they have left before one of them has to leave.

He unzips his tent opening and climbs out.

"Good morning, sweetie. How did you sleep?" his mother greets as she prepares breakfast.

"Good. Can I go see if Amy can play?"

"I'm sorry dear, but the Roses have already left."

"What?" Disappointment floods through him. "She's already gone?"

"I'm afraid so." Aleena nods. "I went over earlier to see if they wanted to come over for breakfast, but they were gone."

"Oh." His ears lower and he looks at the ground mournfully.

"Why don't you take a run? Breakfast is almost ready." Aleena smiles understandingly at her son.

"'Kay." A run always steadies him, no matter what's happening. He dashes off. Before he zooms all throughout the campground, however, he goes to campsite 46. He doesn't know why; maybe he just needs to see for himself that Amy and her family are really gone.

He stands there, observing the indeed-empty campsite that once harbored his friend. Crestfallen, he goes to turn and start his run when the bushes near him start rustling. His ears perk up, and he eyes the shrubbery.

"Hello?" he calls out.

"Sonic?" a voice he thought he'd never hear again, answers.

"Amy?" Sure enough, out of the bushes steps a tired and confused-looking Amy, still dress the same as yesterday. "What are you doing in there? And where are your folks?"

"My parents? I-I really don't know. The last thing I remember is getting ready for bed last night." Amy starts to tear up. "W-where's my mom and dad?"

"Hey, it's alright! We can figure this out," Sonic says comfortingly. He hates crying. "Hey! Why don't we check with the entrance guy? If your parents left, then they had to of checked out with him first!"

"Y-you sure?" Amy sniffles, blinking away the tears that were threatening to fall.

"Yup! Here, I can carry you and we can be there in no time flat." Sonic offers his arms out to her. She hesitates before stepping over to him.

"Okay," she nods and takes his hand. As soon as the young hedgehogs touch, however, they get shocked, making them both yelp and jump back.

"Heh, static! Gets ya when ya least expect it!" Sonic grins, vaguely noting the shock didn't have it's usual sting, but more of a warm tingle instead.

Amy, who also noticed the different shock, cracks a smile, appreciating his attempt to make her feel better. Suddenly, Sonic scoops her up bridal-style and zips off towards the gate. Amy clings to him as she watches the world blur by in both fear and admiration.

"Here we are," Sonic says, and he sets down a stunned Amy.

"That was fast," she gapes, still envisioning what she just saw.

"Fastest thing alive here!" Sonic winks at her. He then turns towards the booth where the gate man is.

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Hmm?" An elderly hawk turns his head to see who's there, then he lowers his head to see Sonic. "Oh, what can I do for you, young lad?"

"I was wondering if a Darren and Vallory Rose checked out earlier this morning?"

" _'Rose'_?" the hawk questions, an odd look overcoming his face.

"Yes?" Sonic nods, unsure about that look. "You see, they have a daughter, A-"

"Amy Rose," the hawk finishes. "in campsite 46, right?"

"Yeah, right next to mine," Sonic nods, now hopeful since the guy obviously knows who he's talking about. His hope dies down, however, as the older male stares at him, mystified.

"Alright lad, let me tell you about somethin'. Somethin' that happened here years ago." The older hawk takes a deep breath, and starts.

"Three years ago, a family of three came to this campground. It was dark when they arrived, but they had been searching for a more traditional spot to camp in. There was a spot open for them, and they settled in just fine. That night, though, was the same night that an escaped prisoner was on the loose. He was loose in these same woods. He was dangerous, especially since he managed to get a gun. Knowing the police were hot on his tail, he came to this campground. The first campsite he came across was that family of three. That man then did something horrible: before he was recaptured, he shot all three of them and killed them. No one is really sure why he did it, but some say it was because he was crazy."

"That's terrible!" Sonic exclaims, feeling sorry for those poor souls. He glances at Amy and sees the same horrified expression on her face.

"It is, but here's the interestin' part: ever since their deaths, there have been at least two sightings of that family in that same campsite every year. They always show up at dark, like they did three years ago, and by morning, they're gone." The hawk leans forward, his face grim. "Do you know what their names were?" Sonic shakes his head, suddenly feeling uneasy.

"Darren Rose was the father, Vallory Rose was the mother, and Amy Rose was their seven-year-old daughter. They were, and are always seen, in campsite 46."

Sonic just stares at him, unable to comprehend what he just heard.

"No, you're wrong." Sonic finally says, confidence clear in his voice. "Amy is right here!" He gestures to his friend, but his eyes widen when he sees her crying.

"Amy? Amy, what's wrong?"

The girl doesn't hear him, however. Snippets of memories bombards her little mind: arriving in the night, the long day she and her folks had, her and her father searching for firewood, and going to their tent after a late supper; she was so tired, she didn't even bother to change into her pajamas. She remembers waking up with a sense of dread, then seeing two flashes, and hearing two bangs. She screamed, her voice ringing far and wide, when a third flash and bang sounded. Oh that searing pain she felt in her abdomen!

Then, nothing.

Amy gasps as she regains her senses, remembering where she is and who she's with, and she instinctively clutches her stomach. However, something feels _wrong_. Terrified, she slowly removes her hand, revealing her stomach, and she sees the bullet wound, blood slowly oozing out and staining her green shirt. She looks up fearfully at her blue friend.

"Sonic?" she chokes out, wondering if her imagination is getting the best of her. His horrified face tells her otherwise, however.

"Boy, are you alright?" the hawk asks with concern and some guilt. Maybe he shouldn't of had told him the story; the poor lad looks petrified!

"S-she needs help!" Sonic exclaims, pointing at the still-crying Amy. "She's bleeding!"

"Who?" The older male looks around, not seeing anyone.

"Amy!" Sonic yells in exasperation. Why isn't this guy freaking out? Going for help? Something?!

"Son," the hawk says gravely. "I don't see anyone but you."

Sonic gapes at the older male in disbelief. Then he looks at Amy.

Amy, following her instincts, approaches the hawk, who still fails to notice her, and touches his arm. However, instead of making contact, her hand passes right through. She exhales, pure fear coursing through her veins.

"Sonic, he can't see me," she whimpers. "He can't see me!" she sobs and sprints off, disappearing into the dense forest.

"Amy, wait!" Sonic dashes after her.

The hawk watches the little blue hedgehog run off with confusion. Did he hear right? The little boy can see Amy Rose? This is certainly a change of events...

Sonic quickly catches up to the pink female, who's sitting on the ground, with her knees curled up to her chest, and her with head bowed as she cries.

"Amy..." Sonic tries comforting the trembling girl, but he's at a loss for words. How can he comfort her when _he's_ not even sure what's going on?

"What's happening? Where's my mom and dad?" Amy sobs, wanting this all to go away.

"Let me see if my parents can help. Wait right here." With that, Sonic zooms back to his campsite, where his parents have just finished making breakfast.

Before he can asks his parents for help, however, Amy suddenly appears besides him.

"Gah! What the- Amy?! How did you get here? I said wait for me!" He scolds.

"I-I did! I was still sitting after you left, waiting, and now I'm suddenly here!" the girl exclaims fearfully, getting even more upset.

"Hey, it's okay!" Sonic calms down, feeling bad for snapping on her like that. She has enough to worry about as it is. "I was just startled. Let's go-"

"Sonic, honey, what are you doing? Breakfast is ready." Aleena says, both his parents looking at him now.

"You talkin' to the trees there, son?" Jules smiles teasingly. Sonic, however, just pales.

"You- you guys don't see her too?"

"See who?" Aleena asks, growing concerned from Sonic's face.

"Amy." Sonic's voice is barely louder than a whisper now, fear and disbelief taking ahold of him now. Amy just watches, too afraid and confused to do anything else.

"Sonic, honey, we've already been through this. Amy and her family left. Are you feeling okay?" Aleena asks.

"I-I, uh-"

"He's just tired and hungry. You kids did stay up quite late last night." Jules smiles sympathetically at his son.

"Y-yeah," Sonic nods, seeing he has no other choice. They wouldn't believe him if he told them what's going on. Especially since they can't see Amy.

"Then come and get breakfast." Aleena smiles warmly at her son, and she and her husband go back to the picnic table to eat.

Amy, while this all happens, wracks her brain, trying to figure out some explanation. As she looks down thoughtfully, she notices her wound. She grimaces from the gruesome sight, but she's glad it at least has stopped bleeding. However, the pink hedgehog fails to realize that a wound like hers isn't supposed to stop bleeding; not like this. Amy then notices something: she doesn't feel _anything_. Hesitantly, she takes her finger and pokes the wound. Nothing. She pokes harder. Still nothing. Her blood isn't even staining her white gloves!

 _'before he was recaptured, he shot all three of them, and killed them,'_ The hawk's words echo in her head, helping her find the explanation. The flashes, the bangs, her invisibility...

"Sonic," Amy says after Sonic's parents leave. Her blue friend looks hopelessly at her, still trying to figure out how he can help her. "I'm dead." she whispers.

His eyes widen. "W-what?"

"I'm dead," she says louder, tears slowly seeping out of her eyes. "and I don't think I'm gonna see my parents again."

"Amy, that's... That's-"

"Sonic, look! It doesn't hurt!" she interrupts and smacks her wound, still not feeling the pain she should. "I feel _nothing_ ," she whispers, agony in her young voice.

Sonic's ears lower, realizing that as horrible as it is, it's the only explanation they have.

"But, what does this mean?" He asks fearfully, wondering why he's the only one who can see her.

"It means," she slowly says, having no choice but to accept her fate now, "that no one can see or touch me. Only _you_ can."

* * *

 **Heheh, see what I did there?** ** _*cricket chirps*_** **Okaaay, never mind. I have literally had this idea in my head since July, when I myself was camping! xD**

 **Please Review! (Criticism welcomed, but please make it constructive and respectful)**


	2. Good Morning!

**Seganumber1fan** **,** **Soniclover23** **,** **Nova the hedgehog** **,** **SoraRose7** **, thanks for the reviews! Another thanks to those who favorited/followed this! I'm glad you guys like this so far!**

 **oOo** **means a flashback is either starting or ending**

 **I own nothing except the plot.**

* * *

 **Good Morning!**

 **oOo**

"Do you recognize anything yet?" Sonic asked Amy over the sound of rushing wind, who he held in his arms as he sped around Station Square. Not at full speed, of course, despite the itch that was growing in the young speedster's legs to go faster.

"No," Amy shook her head. Having spent the rest of the weekend with Sonic and his family, regardless of how his parents still couldn't see her, the two children were quick to discover Amy can't be farther away from Sonic for more than a hundred feet. Literally. She will reappear right next to him the instant they go over that limit.

"We'll find it, don't worry," Sonic winked at her. Since Amy couldn't seem to be away from him, he decided they might as well get to know each other. As far as he was concerned, nothing was worse than being stuck with someone you hardly know. Plus, he felt absolutely horrible that his friend has to undergo... whatever this situation was. She needed all the support she could get, and he was going to give her just that.

One of the things he learned about her was she and her family used to live in Station Square, the same city he and his family lived in. He then had the idea she would want to see her old home; it might give her closure or maybe even a clue. She agreed, and now here they were, running around the city and looking for her old home.

"Ohhh," Amy grumbled. "Why does this city have to be so big?" She wished she had paid more attention when she and her parents went on car trips. The fact that it had been three years since she was last home did not help either.

"Wait!" Amy suddenly exclaimed, making the cobalt blue hedgehog come to an abrupt stop in front of a gas station.

"What? You recognize something?" Sonic's ears perked up, hoping she had finally found something.

"Yeah, I do!" she smiled. "Turn left right up here!" The pink female pointed in front of them with excitement. She finally recognized something!

Sonic obeyed, following the rest of the directions made by his pink companion.

"Stop." Amy whispered after street corners and houses were passed. The two hedgehogs were in front of a small brown house with tan trimming. "This is it!" Amy tearfully gaped at her old home, awed by how much it had changed but was still recognizable. Sonic gently set her back down on her feet.

"It used to be white," Amy said softly, the memories of her home fresh in her mind. "It's borders were dark blue, and the door was yellow. Mom hated that," she chuckled weakly. "The front yard was pretty, and Mom made me keep my toys in the back yard. My dad even made that tree house for me back there." Amy pointed towards a tree behind the house, where part of a small roof was seen in its dense branches.

Sonic observed the house before them, noticing how it had multiple children's toys strewn about the decently-kempt yard. The house definitely wasn't what Amy described as it once was, but it at least still had a comfy feel to it.

Sonic's ears twitched after hearing a sniffle, and he turned towards his crying friend.

"Amy?" the hedgehog asked with concern, wondering if this idea of his was smart. "You okay?"

"This is all real." She sniffled again and tried to wipe away her tears. "I-I'm dead." The evidence for this before was certainly convincing, don't get her wrong, but after seeing what was once her home, changed, the truth of it all had finally set in.

There was no going back.

Sonic comfortingly rested his hand on her shoulder, words not being enough to console his friend.

"Can we- can we go to the cemetery?" Amy hesitantly asked.

Sonic scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "Why?"

"I want to see something," she vaguely answered. Sonic shrugged and scooped up the girl, dashing over the Station Square's Cemetery. He set Amy down upon their arrival, and she immediately stared walking, clearly on a mission.

Sonic followed her to the back-left corner of the cemetery, and he walked up besides her when she stopped. He saw she was crying again, gazing intently at two headstones. He looked at what she was staring at.

 _Darren and Vallory Rose_

 _1974-2009 & 1979-2009_

 _Devoted husband and wife, caring parents, beloved to all_

And, right next to the conjoined headstone was a smaller one, reading:

 _Amy Rose_

 _2002-2009_

 _A ray of sunshine everywhere she went. A joy the world has truly missed out on_

"Amy, I'm so sorry." Sonic went to pat her back, but she abruptly turned around and hugged him, sobbing into his chest. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, not really used to hugs like that, but he pushed aside his discomfort and let his pink friend cry. Good thing Amy's wound only stains her shirt and nothing else. It would've been hard to explain to his parents how his fur got bloody.

After Amy started to attempt to compose herself, Sonic spotted a meadow right outside of the cemetery's borders. It was less than a hundred feet away too...

"I'll be back in a second, Amy, okay?"

"What are-" Amy wasn't even able to finish asking her question before Sonic zoomed off. Then, with a gust of wind a couple seconds later, Sonic was back before she was even able to try to look for him.

"There. See? A second," he smirked at her.

"What were you- oh!"

Sonic held out in front of her a bunch of daisies.

"I got 'em from that meadow." The blue hedgehog bashfully gestured behind her. He stepped around Amy and knelt in front of her grave. He divided his bunch of daisies into two bouquets, and he set down one group of the flowers on her parents' graves, then the other bunch on Amy's.

"Thank you, Sonic." The young female smiled in appreciation as she wiped her eyes dry. _'He is such a great friend.'_ Suddenly, a strange sensation overcame her.

"No problem, Amy." Sonic smiled warmly at her. She tried to shake the feeling off, but it wouldn't let her. There was something about those daisies...

"Amy?" The speedster's smile changed to a look of concern after he noticed Amy's distant demeanor.

Amy, meanwhile, was oblivious to her worried friend, and she decided to give into her instincts. She stared off into space, focusing solely on the unknown feeling, the sensation rapidly growing stronger.

 _'How much longer? Is this even doing anything?'_ The pink female tiredly thought to herself.

Then, "Whoa! Amy, how'd ya do that?"

The pink hedgehog snapped out of her trance and looked curiously at a bewildered Sonic. She followed his wide-eyed gaze to her hands, where the bouquet of daisies from her grave now rested.

"Huh?" There was two things wrong with that: she could actually touch it when she had been unable touch anything other than Sonic since discovering her death, and there were still daisies on her grave.

"They just appeared." Sonic said, still gaping at the flowers in her hands. "Just," The blue hedgehog made a poof-motion with his hands. " _there_."

Amy looked from the flowers in her hands to the ones on her grave, thinking about what she could have possibly done to achieve this. She spotted other graves with flowers and gifts given to the deceased. She wondered if those deceased people were still around and if they could actually have their gifts. She then had an idea.

"Sonic, do you have something else you could put on my grave?"

 **oOo**

 _Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep-_

The shrill ring of a digital alarm clock pierces through Amy's thoughts, making her jump in fright and nearly fall out of the chair she is leaned back in. With annoyance, she watches as a tan arm surfaces from the tangle of bedding and slaps off the alarm, the limb not even bothering to retreat back into the warm covers.

Amy snorts and with a roll of her eyes, turns her back to the lazy hedgehog, reattempting to read her book. He expects her to wake him up, like she usually does since his parents are at work at this time of morning, but she won't do it today. She told the cobalt blue male last night that she was done being his alarm, that he needs to learn to get up without her. Also – not that it really has a major part in it – she is out of ideas on how to wake up that stubborn hedgehog now. Since he hit his teen years, he sleeps, eats, and smart-mouths ten-times worse than he did before! He would argue she is just as mouthy as he is, which she is, but only because he starts it.

Amy glances down at her red dress, remembering what her thoughts were before that stupid clock interrupted, and she once again gets distracted from her book. She is debating whether or not she should ask Sonic for a new dress. She likes her dress now – she was ecstatic upon discovering she could wear different clothing, as long as it was left as a gift on her grave – but she has worn the same dress for four years now. As soon as she stops touching her dress and it leaves her sight, the dress will disappear and never come back to her, thus forcing her to wear the dress at all times. She had to learn that rule the hard way.

In addition, she's getting close to outgrowing it. Yeah, that's right; she's growing. Since she has been with Sonic, she has been aging like a normal, living kid. It wasn't really that noticeable the first few years – she increasingly started to vaguely notice how short her orange skirt was – but then she started to develop things that couldn't helped but to receive her full attention, making her come to the embarrassing realization that she was growing.

The same, however, could not be said for her old clothing. She doesn't understand how some girls willingly wear tiny clothing like that; it's so uncomfortable, both mentally and physically! Telling Sonic her reasons of why she needed new clothes was a conversation she never wants to have again, especially when he himself was going through puberty! Being the good friend he was, though, he put aside his major discomfort and bought her this dress. He even got her a red hair band, that dear friend of hers! Her dress was a little too big for her at first, but it fit well enough to still wear. Lucky for him, he didn't have to worry about shoes. She goes barefoot since she doesn't feel pain.

Amy looks down at her abdomen, eyeing the permanent dark red stain with disgust and sadness. If it weren't for her bullet wound staining whatever outfit she wears, she would forget she's dead.

" _OH CRAP!_ " Amy snaps her head up in time to hear a gust of wind and to see a blue streak fading into the bathroom. "WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP?!" Sonic yells at her from within the bathroom, rushing to get ready for school.

"I said I was done with waking you up, remember?" Amy calmly replies, placing her bookmark in the book. She didn't really read much this time. Oh well, she has already read it, like, three times.

"So you let me sleep in? In case ya forgot, I have a PreCalculus test today!" Sonic growls as he throws on his school uniform: a white button-up long-sleeve shirt, tan pants, and brown dress shoes. It's bad enough he already hates clothing, but this damn school uniform certainly doesn't help matters!

"Should've thought about that before going back to sleep, huh?" Amy smirks. The test shouldn't be that bad; the tests he should be worried about are next week: semester finals. The pink hedgehog stands up from her seat at Sonic's desk and goes to make her blue friend's bed. She smiles fondly to herself as she thinks of her best friend. She knows asking the speedster to make his bed after making him wake up on his own would be too much of him. That's her Sonic, though, and she wouldn't change him for the world.

"So tell me how you willing to make my bed but not wake me up, makes sense to you." Sonic cocks an eyebrow at Amy as he grabs his school bag and slings it over his shoulder.

"You have one minute left," Amy says as she crosses her arms with a cheeky grin, ignoring his question.

"Agh!" The blue speedster groans and dashes out of his house, locking the door behind him. He zooms towards school, careful not to go fast enough to burn his pants off of him. It has happened before, resulting in Amy and his friends to laugh about it for a good month, still bringing it up every now and then.

"Careful not to burn anything," Amy snickers, his thoughts proven true, as she floats alongside him, matching his pace. The things she's discovered she can do these past seven years still ceases to baffle him!

"Ha ha, very original," he rolls his eyes, Anderson High School now in view. This school in particular was founded by Clark Anderson about a century ago, and from what he's heard about typical high schools, this one is not so bad. The school just needs some lessons in what's cool and stuff: starting with their school uniform!

Sonic sprints into his school and speeds towards his first class, PreCalculus. He doesn't have time to go to his locker, for Mr. Williams is not as lenient towards him as most of his other teachers are. If Sonic gets one more tardy, he'll get a detention!

"I'm here!" Sonic exclaims as he bursts through the classroom door, the tardy bell sounding a millisecond later. Amy floats through the door with an impressed smile, actually surprised Sonic made it in time.

"I see that, but I also see a backpack." Mr. Williams says with an arched eyebrow as he narrows his eyes at the student, no longer fazed by the blue hedgehog's noisy entrances.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm putting it out in the hall," Sonic grumbles as he opens the door and sets his bag outside the doorway. This school and its stupid rules.

"Like backpacks in the classroom are distracting," Amy says sarcastically as she rolls her eyes, also not seeing the point of this rule. Sonic discretely shrugs at her, careful not to draw attention to the action; in these past seven years he's already had a number of people ask who he's talking to or looking at. He's not looking to add to that number.

Sonic then takes his seat – at the back of the classroom next to his buddy, Tails – while Amy wanders around the classroom, as usual. Sonic releases a sigh and finally relaxes. He wouldn't mind detention, but to sit there for half an hour, just sitting, drives him absolutely nuts! Even with the help of Amy, he gets more restless than a kid hyped up on sugar!

"Morning, Sonic, " Tails greets.

"Hey, Tails." Sonic smiles at the yellow fox.

"What made you late this time?" the young fox asks.

"I, uh, slept in," Sonic sheepishly grins, also glancing pointedly at Amy, who shrugs innocently at him as she watches an unknowing student doodle in her notebook. _'Wow, not bad; this girl is better than me!'_ Amy admires the girl's pencil sketch of a lake. Amy wouldn't call herself an amazing artist, but she has had more than enough time to develop some skills...

"Slept in? You?" Tails asks with surprise, his twin tails swishing in amusement.

Sonic raises an eyebrow up. "Yeah, so?"

"Nothing," Tails shrugs. "just that you've been late to classes for every other reason, except oversleeping."

"He does have a point," Amy chimes in, resulting in Sonic giving both her and Tails a glare.

"Well, I guess now there isn't any excuse I haven't used." Sonic says shortly. Tails arches an eyebrow at his friend's blunt answer.

"... You missed breakfast, didn't you?"

"Aww, poor grumpy, hungry hedgehog!" Amy taunts while giggling.

"Whatever!" Sonic huffs and rolls his eyes at Amy.

Tails looks to see what Sonic is looking at, but he sees nothing attention-worthy. The yellow fox shrugs it off, figuring Sonic is too grumpy to look at him.

"Just asking a question, grump-hog," Tails smirks.

Sonic's eye-lids lower. _'Tails and Amy would get along juuust fine if he could see her.'_

"Alright," Mr. Williams's voice interrupts, stopping Sonic from replying. "tests are now out, so no talking." The gray mongoose looks pointedly at Sonic and Tails, the former shrugging innocently and the latter giving an apologetic look.

The two boys grab their tests and join the quiet atmosphere in the classroom. Sonic looks out of the corner of his eye to see Tails's pencil already furiously scribbling away on the sheet of paper. Sonic quietly snorts and smirks. _'Figures.'_

Tails, or Miles Prower, is four years younger than Sonic, but this kid is a _genius_! He just kept skipping grade after grade until he felt he finally had some challenge: Sonic's grade. However, Sonic believes Tails could easily go to the next grade and be a senior, but Tails insists he is fine where he is – probably so the two of them can graduate together. Sonic doesn't want to hold him back, but if his little bro is happy, then who is he to argue against that? Plus, it makes it easier for Sonic to make sure Tails isn't picked on; sure, it's been years since the last time anyone dared to mess with the two-tailed fox, but only because Sonic made sure of that...

Sonic looks back at his blank test. How he hates math! Especially PreCalculus! He should've ignored Amy and his parents, and he should have gone with a more simple math class. But nooooo! _'You need to challenge yourself, son'_ , and _'see how far you can push yourself!'_ The things he does for Amy and his parents...

"You know ten minutes has already passed, right?" Amy says from over his left shoulder as she eyes his untouched test, making him jump from her sudden appearance. Tails shoots him a curious look before turning back to his test.

"Sorry, I'm still waking up," Sonic smirks, his voice quiet enough for only Amy to hear.

"Oh you're such a baby," Amy rolls her eyes with a grin.

"I don't see you taking this test!" he hisses. From all of the experience he has from the quiet discussions he's had with Amy in the past, the blue hedgehog figures he has to be the world's best whisperer or something!

"No, but I would've aced it." Amy has always paid close attention to all of Sonic's classes, soaking up as much knowledge as she could. The first few years of being with Sonic were rough – considering how she went from learning second grade stuff to being thrown into fourth grade teachings – but she eventually caught up, with the help of Sonic. Then, to her amusement and to his shock, she surpassed him in academics.

 _'How can you know all this when I can hardly get my head around it?!'_ he would argue. Simple: she paid attention while he goofed off. It wasn't all the time, he can be a good student, but it happened enough to make him confused. Luckily for him, though, he is her best friend –her _only_ friend – and she has always been willing to teach him what he failed to learn in his classes.

"Yeah, yeah," he rolls his eyes and tries to focus. Amy knows him well enough to know when he's having an off day, and this is one of those days. Her ears slightly lower, feeling a bit guilty now. Maybe she should've picked a different day to stop being his wake-up call.

"Do what you can, Sonic, and I'll help you finish this test in the last ten minutes, okay?" the pink female says softly.

"No, that's not fair to you," he shakes his head, already sensing what she's trying to do. Her persistence to right what she thinks she has wronged is one of the things he admires about her...

"No, I should've thought about how not waking you up would have affected your testing performance. I know you know how to do this stuff, so let me make it up to you." Amy places her hands on her hips, looking at Sonic with determination.

... yet he also dislikes it just as much as he admires it.

"Alright, alright," he sighs, knowing his pink, stubborn friend won't budge a bit on this. Just another one of her many _darling_ characteristics.

"Good," she smiles, to which he can't help but to return, and she goes back to wandering around the classroom, unseen, as always. Maybe she'll pretend to be 'a draft' and flip Mr. Williams's book pages on him. Out of all the teachers she's watched, he is certainly not one of the more friendlier ones.

Sonic shakes his head in amusement as he watches Amy mess with Mr. Williams, the gray mongoose eyeing the closed windows with bewilderment as his book pages mysteriously flip. There are times when the blue hedgehog thinks Amy has things so good – not being forced by anyone to do anything and to have those cool capabilities of hers – but then he quickly remembers how depressing it all really is for her: unable to be seen by anyone, unable to easily touch something, and being forced to be by his side and watch him live life. It really isn't fair to her, and, quite frankly, neither of them have any clue as to why she is this way. Whatever the reason, he's glad he can at least be there for her since she has no one else. To be her and be utterly alone is something he wouldn't wish on _anybody_.

Sonic snaps out of his thoughts once again, wasting even more of his testing time, and he looks back to his still-blank test. He checks how much time he has left. Eleven minutes. _'Heh, Amy is gonna kill me.'_

* * *

 **Keep in mind there are supposed to be some things you guys don't know about yet, but they shall be revealed and clarified with later chapters.**

 **Also, as I've already told a viewer, I'm at that age where life won't let me update as soon as I'd like. Don't doubt for a moment that I'll drop this story, however (never!), it's just gonna take a while.**

 **Please review! (They make me so happy!)**


	3. Who's He?

**A warning to you younger ones: the last month of senior year in high school DOES NOT SLOW DOWN! Quite the opposite, actually...**

 **Seganumber1fan** **,** **SoraRose7** **,** **FireWitch25** **,** **MonkeyArms** **,** ** ShadamyluvR** **,** **Nova the hedgehog** **, thanks for the reviews!**

 **NOTE** **: last chapter I said Amy went from learning kindergarten stuff to second grade; I was wrong. I was supposed to put second grade to fourth grade. Dunno what I was thinkin'... Anyways, it's fixed. Moving on!**

 **I own nothing except the plot.**

* * *

 **Who's He?**

 **oOo**

 _Four weeks._

Four weeks since Amy had met Sonic. Four weeks of trying each other's patience as they adapted to being with each other 24/7. Four weeks of complete and utter _boredom_.

Amy had not been able to touch a single thing other than Sonic. Not one, and it was driving her _crazy!_ Once she and Sonic were home, things were not so bad, but at school? She would've banged her head against a wall just for something to do, but her head would've just gone right through.

"Alright class, we have a new student," Ms. Johnson said, snapping young Amy out of her staring contest with the class fish, Bubbles, and the rest of the class from whatever they were doing.

Amy looked towards the front of the classroom and saw a green hedgehog boy standing next to the teacher.

"Would you please introduce yourself?" Ms. Johnson asked the boy.

The hedgehog smirked at the class. "The name's Scourge. Scourge the Hedgehog." Scourge looked uncannily similar to Sonic, the obvious difference being he was green while Sonic wasn't. Also, the closer Amy looked, the more she saw another difference: his whole demeanor spelt trouble – not the amusing kind.

"And where are you from?"

His ice blue eyes snapped towards the violet chipmunk, the smirk still on his face but no humor in his eyes.

"Why do you need to know?"

"I-I, uh," Ms. Johnson stammered, taken aback from his attitude. "You don't have to share that if you don't want to." She cleared her throat, regaining the little bit of authority she had lost. "You may take your seat."

Sonic watched Scourge walk to his desk, located in the middle, which was three desks away from where Sonic was seated.

"I don't like him." Sonic jumped from Amy's sudden appearance, and he frowned at her.

"Would you stop doing that?!" For the past four weeks she had been unknowingly sneaking up on him, and each time she has 'startled' him. Even though it was only between the two of them, it was still damaging to his reputation. At least, he thought so.

"Sonic?" The blue hedgehog looked at his teacher. "Who are you talking to?"

Sonic looked back to where Amy stood and realized that to everyone else, he looked like he was talking to a bookshelf.

"I was, uh..." Sonic racked his brain for some sort of excuse. "talkin' to the stupid fly who won't leave me alone!" He glared pointedly at an imaginary fly, hoping everybody would believe it.

"Well, ignore it and get your Social Studies book out." The older chipmunk then addressed the class. "Turn to page 56, please."

The blue speedster released a sigh of relief as he opened his desk, his shoulders dropping. Already he was running out of excuses...

"Sorry," Amy said softly as her friend flipped to the page. "I'll just, go back to playing with Bubbles." The pink girl slowly walked back to the fish bowl, her ears bent back in sadness. Sonic watched her with a frown.

How could he be so selfish? Here he was, worrying about looking like a nut case in front of everyone while Amy couldn't even be seen, let alone find something to entertain herself.

"Sonic, your turn to read." Ms. Johnson's voice interrupted the young cobalt blue hedgehog's thoughts. He looked down at the book and realized he didn't have a clue where they were.

' _Crap...'_

 **XXX**

"Freedom!" Sonic yelled as he walked out of the school building, the sun beaming down from the cloudless sky.

"No need to tell me!" Amy sighed as she appreciatively gazed at the swaying tree branches, happy to have gotten out of that Chaos-forsaken classroom. "Where are we going today?"

"Well, how about we-"

"Hey, blue boy!" a voice interrupted. Sonic looked behind him and saw green.

"What's up, Scourge?" Sonic asked, being polite. His mother would not be happy if he acted otherwise; at least, towards a new student.

"Word is you think you're the fastest kid here." Scourge crossed his arms with a doubtful arch of the eyebrow.

"Ah, you see, you heard wrong. I _am_ the fastest," Sonic smirked, unable to not boast. Who could when you can run the speed of sound?

"Correction: you _were_ the fastest, and I can prove it. Race to the playground?" Scourge pointed to Sonic's right with a sly grin, as if he knew something Sonic didn't. Amy didn't like that look.

Sonic grinned back. "You're on."

Amy's head whipped towards her blue friend. "Sonic, what about me?" So far, anywhere Sonic ran, he would carry her. They didn't know what would happen if Sonic sped off without her, going speeds where she couldn't even reappear by his side like she would if he went slower. Obviously, he couldn't carry her this time; Not if he wanted to have people ask what he was doing with his arms.

Sonic gave her a quick, reassuring glance as he and Scourge crouched down into starting position. By then, a crowd of students was starting to form, all quite aware of Sonic's ability. What they really wanted to see was Scourge's reaction. No matter how many times they've all seen it, they always look forward to future reactions.

"Ready, get set, go!"

Sonic zipped off, not even bothering to hold back, to the playground. Like the onlookers, he wanted to see Scourge's reaction of when he realized Sonic was already at-

Sonic screeched to a stop and turned to see the green hedgehog's face when he discovered Scourge was right next to him.

 _-the playground?_

Both boys eyed each other with surprise, neither having met some one even remotely close to their speed. The crowd also murmured, each one taken aback that Sonic, for once, had not demolished someone in a race.

Meanwhile, while the speedsters were seeing each other with a new look, Amy reappeared beside Sonic. It was a short enough run to where by the time she had started to feel the start of the transporting process, Sonic and Scourge had already reached the playground. She too was shocked by Scourge's ability. It never occurred to her that someone else could rival Sonic's speed; Sonic was the fastest being around... At least, she thought so.

"How about a rematch?" Scourge finally said, determination filling his ice blue eyes.

"Definitely," Sonic nodded, eager to finally be challenged. What a thrill!

"This time the goal is the main entrance to the city." Scourge crouched down into the starting position once again.

"Sonic, that's going to take more than a second," Amy warned softly, worried about what would happen to her. It was scary enough when she first reappeared by Sonic, she could only imagine what would happen this time.

"Just climb on my back," Sonic lowly replied as he too crouched, making sure Scourge couldn't hear.

The pink hedgehog frowned at him, but nodded. She didn't have any better options, after all. Amy climbed onto his back, making sure to have a good grip on his shoulders. She's lucky his quills were still fairly soft...

"Ready, set, go!" Instantly, both speedy boys took off, leaving behind streaks of blue and green.

"Ahhhh!" Amy screeched, nearly losing her grip on Sonic. By a long shot, she preferred being held. Riding piggyback-style was a lot harder than she thought!

"Hold tight! And please don't scream again!" Sonic warned her as he rubbed his ringing ears.

"Now you say that!" Amy snapped before she squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in his quills. It's one thing to watch the world fly by when you know you're safe, but now...

Sonic and Scourge ran neck-to-neck, both knowing the quickest way to the goal and both expertly weaving through the city and all of its 'obstacles'. The two opponents turned onto a traffic-jammed street, the sidewalks on either side being worked on. Scourge chose to weave through the cars while Sonic took the sidewalk route.

"Hang on, Amy! I'm gonna jump!" Sonic warned as he got closer to the orange fence that blocked civilians from using that portion of sidewalk. He propelled himself upwards by the sheer force of his legs and easily jumped over it, landing gracefully on the other side of the fenced-off area.

Amy squeaked upon impact and nearly lost her grip, but she was able to wrap her arms around his neck. This was the last time she did this!

"Am-y, you're- chokin'- me!" Sonic struggled to speak while the pink girl had a vice grip on his neck. He would like to breathe, especially since they were now out of the busy street!

"Sorry!" She immediately let go and repositioned her hands back on his shoulders. A flash of green caught her eye, and with a look behind them, she realized Sonic was winning!

"Sonic! He's right behind us!" She warned, excitement starting to replace her fear. The city entrance was really close now! She knew she shouldn't of had doubted Sonic!

Amy turned her head around to keep an eye on Scourge for Sonic, just in time for her to see the green hedgehog retrieve a container from within his quills. It was clear, so she was able to see all the metal BBs inside. Scourge took off the lid, and with a devilish grin, he picked up the pace, getting closer to them.

Before a thought could even form in her mind, Amy took action. She snapped her hammer out and she swung downwards, causing the open container to spill its contents right at Scourge's own feet.

"Agh!" Scourge yelled as he slipped on the numerous, tiny balls, and he fell. Hard. Satisfied, Amy returned her hammer with another snap.

Sonic zoomed past Station Square's welcome sign, whooping in triumph as he did so. After Amy hopped off of his back, the cobalt blue hedgehog turned around to brag when he noticed the scraped-up Scourge on the ground.

Sonic zipped up to his opponent and offered his hand. "Hey man, you alright?"

Scourge glared at Sonic and completely ignored the help. The green boy looked at his hand in confusion and frustration, trying to figure out what went wrong. What happened? It could have been the wind, but the force of the hit was way too strong! His hand _still_ stung!

"Well, I'm gonna head on home now," Sonic awkwardly said after a few moments of silence. He didn't know what Scourge's deal was, but he'd had enough of the green hedgehog for the day.

Sonic sped off, leaving the perplexed green speedster behind, but not before scooping Amy up instead of making her ride on his back again. It was almost just as uncomfortable for him as it was for her to ride like that. He felt less flexible and less aerodynamic with her on his back. Plus, he also missed having the feel of the wind rush through his quills.

As Sonic sped through the city once again, Amy pondered Scourge's behavior. What a sore loser! How _dare_ he try to cheat? Sonic would never consider cheating, even if it meant losing the title of 'fastest being around'! Good thing she was there! If she hadn't of smacked those BBs out of Scourge's hands, then-

Amy froze, her whole body becoming stiff.

She _knocked_ those BBs out of Scourge's hands...

Meanwhile, while Amy made her discovery, Sonic had stopped, noticing her rigid state.

"Yo, Amy. You okay?" He asked, setting her down on her feet in case she was dizzy or something.

"I, um..." The pink hedgehog failed to answer, for her excitement had gotten the best of her. She had touched something! Finally _touched_ something!

Amy bent down to pick up a rock on the ground, hoping things were different, but her hand went right through. Her hopes immediately started to crash down. Was it just a fluke then? Could she only touch things with her hammer? She thought back to the incident, recalling any clue. Maybe... maybe she should think less and just feel? It was worth a shot.

Amy tried picking up the rock again, but this time she focused on how the rock would feel: its rough texture and its jagged edges pressing against her gloved fingers...

Her fingers pinched the rock, and she lifted it up, the small rock then falling into the palm of her hand.

"Sonic," she breathed, "look! I'm holding it!"

Sonic watched his friend with wide eyes and with a grin involuntarily forming on his muzzle as he observed her beaming face.

With barely a minute gone by, the pink hedgehog suddenly felt faint, and the rock fell through her hand. She steadied herself before she herself fell. She suddenly felt mentally tired. _Really_ tired. Amy glanced back at the rock when she formed a hypothesis; she could touch, but it would come with a price.

"Amy? You okay?" Sonic once again found himself asking. "What the heck is going on?"

Amy turned and gave him a big smile – as big as she could get at that moment, anyways. It would take a lot of practice and a long time to build up her endurance, but for the first time in four weeks, she felt hope.

 **oOo**

' _Just a couple seconds now...'_ Sonic impatiently taps his foot as he watches the second-hand of the clock tick closer and closer to the twelve. Man, missing breakfast really does a number on him!

 _Riiiiiing!_

With a gust of wind, a blue streak is seen leading out of the classroom before the bell is even through ringing. Amy just rolls her eyes. ' _It's not even that good of a lunch today...'_

"Okay..." Mrs. Darcy says slowly as she looks at Sonic's empty desk with surprise and mild annoyance.

"Don't forget," the English teacher says as she snaps out of her stupor, addressing the departing students and catching Amy's attention. "for tonight's homework, you all must-"

The classroom suddenly fades into a familiar black void, flashes of white whooshing by her as Amy's hurled towards one speck of light in particular. The dot grows larger as she approaches, until she is fully engulfed by the bright illumination. The pink hedgehog blinks her jade eyes clear and instantly recognizes the school's cafeteria, seeing students rush to get a good spot in the lunch line.

"Agh, dang it!" Amy scowls, her shoulders slumping as she floats alongside the reason for her new surroundings.

"What?" Sonic asks, his lunch tray already in his hands as he makes his way to his usual table. Just one of the many perks of being the fastest thing alive!

"I didn't get to hear what Mrs. Darcy assigned for tonight's homework!"

Sonic cocks up an eyebrow. "So? I'll just ask Tails what it is."

"Or you could actually stick around and hear about assignments for yourself," Amy huffs, crossing her arms. She plants her feet on the ground and continues to walk by Sonic's side. Floating is nice when she has to keep up with her speedy friend, but she prefers to walk. It makes her feel more normal.

' _But not alive,'_ Amy glances down at her permanent wound. _'I'll never be able to forget that.'_

"Nah. Why do that when I have you and Tails?" The cobalt blue hedgehog grins cheekily at Amy, not noticing the hidden sorrow in her jade eyes as she looks up at him. "And it's corndogs today! No way was I _stickin'_ around!" He snickers at his bad pun and gestures to the corndog stick.

"Oh Chaos," Amy groans, a smile creeping up on her lips. That's her Sonic!

Sonic reaches a lunch table towards the back of the cafeteria, where a red echidna and a purple cat are already seated.

"Man, am I starving!" The blue hedgehog exclaims hungrily as he takes his seat.

"You're hungry all the time," the purple cat says, dead panned, not even looking up as she twirls her noodles around her fork. Home lunches are so much better than the school lunches, but apparently she's one of the few who thinks that.

"Ima growin' boy, Blaze!" Sonic smirks with his mouth full of corn dog.

"Sonic! Manners!" Amy chastises, noticing the bit of food that came flying out of his mouth when he spoke. Sonic swallows.

"Sorry," he grimaces, and he wipes up the chunk of food with his napkin.

"It's okay," Blaze dismisses, thinking the hedgehog was apologizing to her. If there was one thing Blaze had to appreciate about Sonic, it would be his polite behavior. He slips up, but he's always quick to correct it.

"Unlike some..." The purple cat mutters to herself, eyeing the red echidna next to her as he scarfs down his lunch without a care in the world.

As the echidna makes a move for his bag of chips next, a teal light engulfs the bag and it floats away.

"Hey!" The red male exclaims, turning around to see the chips levitate into the hands of a silver hedgehog.

"Slow down there, Knuckles! At this rate, you're going to gain some extra pounds!" The hedgehog teases.

"Silver, I swear-"

"My Knuckie? _Fat?_ " a sultry voice dramatically gasps from behind Knuckles.

"Agh, Rouge! Not now!" Knuckles groans as he gives the silver hedgehog a death glare. A white bat saunters up to the lunch table and places her left hand on her hip as she mockingly glares down the red echidna.

"Now don't you ruin this fine body of yours with all this junk food!"

"I- w-what? What do you want, Bat?!" Knuckles stutters, a faint blush appearing, even though she makes comments like that to him all the time.

"What? I can't look out for my Knuckie-poo?" Rouge coos, a sly grin on her face.

Amy chuckles at the flustered echidna. These two have done this almost every day for the past couple years, yet Rouge can still make him a stutter and blush! The group likes to tease them about when will they finally start dating – Knuckles always yelling insults at the one who starts it while the bat just laughs.

Sonic thinks Rouge is just messing with the guy, but Amy knows better. She sees the glimpses of longing in Rouge's blue eyes when no one's looking, the temporary scowls when Knuckles talks to other girls, and the brightening of her face when Knuckles tolerates her presence. Amy all-too-well knows those feelings...

"Hey," Rouge suddenly points behind Sonic. "does anyone know him?" Everyone looks in the direction the white bat is pointing.

"Who?" The cobalt blue hedgehog asks, not seeing who she's talking about.

"The dark guy near the back wall there. He keeps looking over here."

Sonic follows her direction and spots him: a black hedgehog with red streaks in his quills, looking to be close to Sonic's age. He's leaned up against the wall with his arms crossed, just observing the noisy cafeteria.

"I don't know who he is," Blaze says, eyeing the ebony hedgehog in curiosity.

"He's not wearing the school uniform, so he's not a new student," Silver notes out loud.

"Then we shouldn't bother figuring out who he is," Knuckles states, managing to finally snag his back of Ruffles chips from Silver.

"Well, whoever he is, he's pretty cute," Rouge says as she looks away, missing the scowl that comes and goes on Kunckles's face. Amy doesn't miss it, however. It's what she's good at, really: watching.

As the group moves their attention elsewhere, Sonic watches the dark hedgehog for a second longer. This guy reminds him of Scourge: annoying. Yeah, he knows he doesn't know him or hasn't even met him, but something about the way he stands and emotionlessly watches everyone bugs Sonic. Like they are all... _beneath_ him or something. The last thing the blue speedster needs is another Scourge at this school.

Right as Sonic goes to turn away, the black hedgehog's crimson eyes lock with Sonic's. They stare each other down for a few seconds before Sonic huffs and turns his back to the black hedgehog.

 _'Yep, definitely a jerk.'_

* * *

Hmm, for a private school, this was not as promising as his superiors had hoped. From his day of watching and deducing, he already knows most of these kids here are not worth his time. Then there are a few he is not quite sure yet if they would be of any value.

Like that blue hedgehog, for one.

So far he knows the blue one is unnaturally fast, that is a potential value, but he already knows just from watching him that the blue hedgehog is not the type to take things seriously for too long and practically oozes the 'funny guy' vibe.

He hates those types of guys.

He will just have to keep a close eye on him for the rest of the week and see if the hedgehog shows enough potential for the position.

The black hedgehog sighs and removes himself from the wall. With his luck, that blue one will probably be among the top of his list by the end of this week. Sometimes he thinks he does his job _too_ well...

* * *

 **Since I'm graduating tomorrow, you guys could give me a graduating gift and review... ;)**


	4. I'm Here Too

**I'M SORRY! Between writer's block and life...** ** _*grimaces*_**

 **NOTE:** **After A LOT of consideration, I've decided to make Romance the second genre instead. 'Cause after all, Hurt/Comfort is a given when it comes to romance, eh? (Just don't expect a bunch of fluff now)**

 **BlazePyro** **,** **Seganumber1fan** **,** **ShadamyluvR** **,** **SpeedNStrength** **,** ** SoraRose7** **,** **Missy the Cat** **,** **The-Phoenix-Ninja101** **, thanks for the reviews!**

 **I own nothing but the plot**

* * *

 **I'm Here Too**

"Ugh, no matter how hard I try, Mrs. Lion _still_ manages to kick my blue butt!" Sonic groans as he walks out of the boys' locker room, fully dressed in his school uniform – the rules stating that as long as he's in the building, he's clothed – and he drapes his towel over his shoulders. Amy floats up from her sitting position in the hall and goes to walk alongside him.

"She's an intense lady. No one ever sees it coming," Amy chuckles, remembering how both she and Sonic thought in the beginning of the year his weights class would be cake, what with the female teacher and all. They couldn't of had been more wrong.

 _"No one,"_ Sonic agrees with a snort. The duo walk through the school's entrance doors and into the winter world.

"Brr! That's why Knuckles chose to take a shower at his house! It's freezing out here!" The blue speedster shivers as the cold wind hits his damp quills. Amy rolls her eyes.

"You've been saying that for the past two months!"

"And I'll keep saying it until spring," Sonic grins cheekily at her, making the fourteen-year-old roll her eyes once more.

"Then you can keep forming icicles everyday," she smugly says, making blue mobian's grin drop.

"I keep forgetting about that..." He suddenly straightens up. "Well then, might as well get it over with!" Within the next second, Sonic zooms off, leaving Amy behind.

"I preferred it when he used to carry me," she grumbles to herself, teleporting to the speedster's side. At least the view isn't any less amazing than the first time she experienced Sonic's speed.

"I'm home!" the cobalt blue hedgehog announces after he barges through the front door. He immediately spots Aleena as she stands from her spot on their couch in the living room. His dad – a lawyer – and his mom – a physical therapist – schedule their work so they are gone before he wakes up for school, but they get home before he does.

"Hi sweetie!" The purple hedgehog embraces him in a hug. "How was- _Sonic the Hedgehog_! How many times have I told you not to run when your quills are still wet?!" she chastises him, holding him out by his shoulders at arm's length as she looks at his iced-over quills in distain. "You're going to catch a cold!"

"I know, I know. I just forget!" The seventeen-year-old shrugs out of her grip and moves towards the stairs. "Hey Mom, is it alright if I go over to Knuckles's house for a couple hours?"

"You know what you should do instead? Study for the finals next week," his mother states as she settles back down on the living room couch.

"Aw come on, Mom! It's only for a couple hours, and isn't it better to study before going to bed? You know, the brain maintaining information better or something like that." Aleena rolls her eyes, having heard that excuse many times now.

"You should know by now what I'm going to say," she says as her blue son ascends the stairs.

" _'Go ask your father'_ ," he groans the answer.

"See? You do listen!" The mother hedgehog smirks as her grumbling son goes upstairs, and with a chuckle, she goes back to watching her show, Dr. Phil.

"Now that's what I call parenting!" Amy says, amused, as she follows the blue hedgehog up to his room.

"Now why you gotta be like that, Ames?" He pouts exaggeratedly as he sets his back pack down on his bed, missing how her ear slightly twitches upon hearing his nickname for her.

"Here, let me get rid of that ice." Amy moves to Sonic's backside and focuses on the ice laced throughout his quills. She takes her hands and combs her fingers through his blue quills, the ice slipping right off and falling to the ground. It's another trick she learned just last year, actually. With enough focus and her touch, she can make certain objects intangible.

 _'These sure are a lot softer than they look,'_ she mentally muses as pulls her hands through his blue quills.

"Thanks," the blue male says after she finishes. He goes to remove his shirt when he abruptly halts and arches an eyebrow at his pink companion. "You mind?"

"Sonic, how many times do we have to go over this?" she huffs as she turns her back to him, long past being over the conversation. "You're undressing just so you can _wear_ nothing!"

"All I'm hearin' are excuses," he teases, already out of the dreadful school-wear, and throws his bundle of clothing into his dirty clothes hamper. He then retrieves his favorite red and white shoes.

She scoffs as she turns back around, "Please, there's nothing to see."

"Ouch!" He feigns being wounded. Amy's jade eyes widen when she realizes how Sonic mistook her statement. If she could blush, she'd be as red as Knuckles!

"I-I didn't mean-"

"Now, now. It's alright; you obviously don't know what you're talkin' about," he grins wryly as he finishes tying his shoes. Scratch that; she'd be redder than that echidna now! Damn teenagers and their hormones! She _did not_ mean it like that!

"SONIC!" she yells after him, his signature blue streak already leading out of his room, and his laughter echoes down the hallway.

"What's so funny, Son?" Sonic turns and finds his dad seated at his work desk, removing his reading glasses and swiveling in his chair to face him.

Instead of answering, Sonic says, "Have I ever told you and Mom how much I love you guys?"

"Which friend do you want to visit this time?" Jules asks, unfazed.

"Knuckles."

"Be back by six," Jules dismisses with a wave of his hand, turning back around to resume his work. He is not only used to his son's tactics, but he is also very familiar with them himself.

"Thanks, see ya later Dad," Sonic smirks, knowing he could never truly 'schmooze' his father like Amy believes he does. After all, he certainly didn't get it from his mother...

Jules feels a gust of wind and hears the front door slam shut with his son's departure. That boy of his... yet, he couldn't be more proud of the man his boy is growing up to be.

The dark blue hedgehog's thoughts are interrupted with a loud clank and with the sound of rushing water.

"JULES!" He rushes downstairs to the kitchen, where the noise originated from, and he sees his wife soaked, glaring, and with her hands on her hips.

"I thought you said you were going to fix the faucet last night!" She points to the kitchen sink where he spots the broken faucet neck laying. There was originally a crack near its base, but apparently it decided to go and detach itself from the rest of the sink.

"I was," Jules says carefully. "but I would've had to wake up the sleeping beauty resting on my chest last night," he grins lovingly at his wife, not missing her attempt to hide her blush and to keep her stern face.

No, Sonic did not get it from his mother.

* * *

"I'll see your two and raise you two!"

Knuckles grins slyly as he lays down four poker chips.

"Then I'll raise you two more!" Silver retaliates.

"Oh yeah? I'll-"

"Here they go again," Tails sighs as he watches his two friends start another betting war.

"Look at it this way: it'll be one less person the rest of us will have to take down!" The red armadillo, Mighty, grins as he gestures to himself, Tails, Sonic, and Espio.

"I don't even know why I come here," Espio sighs as he watches the stare-down between the hedgehog and echidna.

"Because your mom is friends with my mom, and your mom wants you to get out more," Silver answers instantly, his golden eyes not even wavering from Knuckles's purple ones.

"Gee, I never knew," the chameleon says sarcastically.

"It's why he asked!" Amy giggles, but the only person that's able to hear her doesn't react. She expected as much, though. When it comes to hanging out with his friends like this, she tends to be ignored yet not forgotten, if that makes sense; he knows she's there, but he doesn't always hear her either.

When he first started doing that, she felt a bit hurt, but after an argument with him, she realized no one else has to be around someone literally 24/7. It isn't fair he can't 'take a break' from her, as much as it pains her to realize that he does indeed need one every now and then. He may be her only friend, bus she isn't his.

The hammer-wielder's gaze is drawn to Tails as he busts out laughing from Knuckles's outburst after his Full House lost to Silver's Four-of-a-Kind Funnily enough, that yellow fox was the start of Sonic's unconscious avoidance of her around other friends. She doesn't blame the two-tailed fox, however. It wasn't his fault for what happened.

 **oOo**

"What do you wanna do today, Ames?" a twelve-year-old Sonic asked as he balanced on a seesaw. Summer vacation was drawing to an end, and there was no way the blue speedster was going to sit and watch the rest of it go by him: the fastest being on Mobius!

"Well," nine-year-old Amy mused. "We could go explore Mystic Ruins and-" The rest was unheard by Sonic, for his attention was caught by a meek cry for help somewhere close to the park they were in.

"Did ya hear that?" he interrupted, forcing Amy to be silent and listen. Both hedgehog's ears twitched when the cry sounded again. Young Sonic zoomed off, going in the direction of the distressed call.

"Wait, Sonic!" Amy called after him, but the hedgehog was long gone. "Oh dear," she whimpered, biting her lip as she felt herself being pulled into the familiar, yet still-terrifying, void. How could he forget her when they still didn't know what would happen?! Hopefully Sonic had stopped at that point...

Amy clamped her eyes shut, afraid of what would happen if her friend was still on the move. After what seemed like several minutes, the pink hedgehog eventually heard a familiar sound of rushing wind. She dared a peek through her right eye and saw the wondrous blurred world. Surprised, she opened both eyes, and the first thing she noticed was the running blue hedgehog to her left.

"Wha-" she looked down and what she saw stunned her: floating. She, Amy Rose, was floating half a foot above the ground, and at the same speed as Sonic! She didn't know how she was doing it, but she was!

"Someone, please, help me!" the cry sounded again, much louder that time – and _younger_. Concern overrode Amy's sense of bafflement and she searched for the source of the call.

"There!" she pointed to an alley on their right, having caught a glimpse of shadows of struggling bodies.

Sonic followed her direction and halted at the alley's entrance, finding at its end a white wolf towering over a cowering little fox.

"Shut up you freak, and give me your money!" the wolf growled at the bruised and weeping boy. Sonic's emerald eyes narrowed, recognizing the wolf's voice from his own school. The wolf was already plenty rich – he wouldn't have been in the same school as Sonic if his family didn't have some dough – so why the heck would he bully this kid for more?

The fox choked out a sob in response, making the blue mobian's blood boil.

"How 'bout 'no', Drago?" The angered hedgehog finally spoke up, making the wolf turn his hard blue eyes on the glowering cobalt blue hedgehog.

"Oh look, it's Sonic," Drago sneered, baring his fangs. "Get lost. This ain't your business!" Sonic smirked humorlessly.

"Then I'll make it my business."

Before the wolf could blink, Sonic sprinted forwards and shoved him, sending Drago flying over the young fox and crashing into the brick wall.

"Get behind me," the blue hero commanded, to which the yellow fox immediately obeyed. Amy, knowing a fight was clearly on its way, gathered her mental strength to drag the boy away to a safe distance. He didn't even notice he was being moved, though, too shocked yet focused on what was going on. She didn't mind, however. It would've just added to the poor boy's stupor.

"Heh, you're goin' to regret that, _blue boy_ ," Drago snarled as he picked himself up from off the ground.

"Not as much as you will for picking on defenseless kids," Sonic spat out. The wolf lunged at Sonic, his arm pulled back to deliver a punch, but the speedster simply ducked and kicked Drago's exposed side. At that moment, Sonic was very thankful for his dad teaching him self-defense.

The hedgehog dodged another attack from Drago and landed his own punch right on the wolf's jaw. The bully stumbled back and fell against some metal trash cans. A feral growl escaped Drago's snarling mouth, his blue eyes blazing with fury. Before he could launch himself at Sonic, a red-and-yellow hammer collided with Drago's head, instantly rendering him unconscious.

"We don't have time for this," Amy huffed and snapped her hammer back out of sight. "We need to get him home," she gestured to the curled-up fox behind her.

With one last glare at the unconscious wolf, Sonic approached the frightened fox. "Hey buddy, what's your name?"

"M-Miles P-Prower."

"Well, Miles, I'm Sonic the Hedgehog," the hedgehog smiled warmly at Miles, causing the latter to relax a bit. "How 'bout we get ya home, huh?" He extended his hand out. Miles hesitated, then he took the hedgehog's hand and shakily stood up with Sonic's assistance. It was then that Sonic finally noticed the young boy had two tails rather than one.

"Hey, you've got two tails!" Amy face-palmed, and Miles lowered his head while trying to subtly hide his deformity.

"He obviously doesn't want to talk about it!" Amy hissed, but to her surprise and slight hurt, the blue mobian seemingly ignored her. First he left her behind without a second thought, now this! Did she do something wrong? Did she make him mad?

"Erm, y-yeah. It's what makes me a... a _f-freak_ ," the fox sniffled, trying hard not to cry again.

"Whoa, whoa! _'Freak'_ is not the word to describe people like us!" Sonic exclaimed, an encouraging smile on his muzzle.

" _'Us'_?" Miles lifted his head to look up curiously at the blue hedgehog.

" _'Awesome'_ would be a better fit," Sonic rambled on. "After all, I bet you can do some pretty impressive stuff!"

"W-well, I can fly if I spin my tails really fast," Miles admitted hesitantly.

"What?! No way! That's way beyond cool! The closest I'll ever come to flying is if I jump at my fastest speed!" Sonic sighed wistfully.

Before Miles could voice his confusion, Drago emitted a groan.

"Whelp, that's our cue to split!" Sonic grabbed Miles's wrist and zipped off, leaving Amy behind once again.

 _"Sooonic!"_ she groaned in exasperation, and she stomped her foot. Forget being hurt! How dare he forget her _again_! She was not the problem, _he_ was! She then crossed her arms over her chest as she faded into that dark, dark void, happy that she at least knew what would happen. _'Stupid, inconsiderate hedgehog,'_ she mentally growled.

The young female reappeared beside the speeding hedgehog, noticing the petrified fox he had in tow.

"You're going to give Miles a heart attack!" she scolded Sonic. _'He probably won't hear me.'_

"Don't worry Ames, I- _AMY?!_ " Sonic screeched to a halt and gaped at his pink friend as she also stopped.

"Oh, _now_ you notice me," she scoffed. "Apparently this is what happens when you forget me," she said pointedly with narrowed eyes, and she held up two fingers. " _twice_."

"Aw geez, Ames, I'm sorry! I-"

"We can talk about it later," she interrupted, storing her annoyance for later. "Just take care of poor Miles!"

Confused, Sonic looked behind him and saw the disheveled, wide-eyed fox.

"Miles?" He waved his glove hand in front of the yellow fox's unresponsive face. "Hey, you okay bud?" He turned to an unimpressed Amy sheepishly.

"I think I broke hi-"

"That. Was. _AMAZING_!" Tails suddenly exclaimed, catching both hedgehogs off-guard. "That's what you meant when you said, _'people like us'_?"

"Well sure," Sonic casually answered with a shrug. "I've had my fair share of name-calling too."

"But I'm not nearly as cool as you are," Miles said dejectedly.

"Flattery is nice, but criticizing yourself gets ya nowhere," Sonic said disapprovingly.

"Well it's true," Miles grumbled. "You run at impossible speeds while I am just some two-tailed loser that skipped ahead two grades!"

"Wait, how old are you?"

"Eight, and I'm in fourth grade," the young fox answered, also predicting Sonic's next question.

"Holy chili dogs! You can fly and you're smart? You've gone and one-upped me!" Sonic gasped dramatically. Miles cracked a smile, but otherwise failed to see the hedgehog's point.

"Look, Miles," Sonic then sighed, sincerity in his voice. "No matter what anyone else says, you're special. If you can embrace what you can do like I did my speed, then no one and nothing can bring ya down! But if you don't," he gestured back towards the direction of the alley they were previously in. "then people like Drago will always be waiting around to bring you down."

Amy involuntarily found herself smiling at the pair. As mad as she was at that blasted hedgehog, she couldn't help but to feel pride for her friend as he said those words.

Miles looked back in the direction Sonic gestured to, a thoughtful look on his face, before he turned back around to face Sonic with a genuine smile on his muzzle.

"You sound like my parents," he said softly, admiration filling his sky-blue eyes as he gazed up at the older mobian. Miles straightened himself up and lifted his head in pride. "Call me Tails; it's what my parents call me, and it's what I want my friends to call me."

 **oOo**

Amy looks at the clock for probably the hundredth time and is relieved to see it's finally time to head back home.

"Hey Sonic, it's time to go," Amy informs the cobalt hedgehog as she shakes his shoulder – not too much to draw the other's attention, of course. Sonic glances at her in acknowledgement and lays his cards down, folding from the game.

"Sorry guys, I've gotta be heading home now."

"See ya tomorrow, Sonic," Knuckles half waves, his focus on whether or not the red armadillo across from him is bluffing.

With a chuckle and a wave to everyone else, Sonic walks out of the Echidna's home.

"Walking home this time?" Amy asks him, quickly noticing his relaxed pace.

"Yeah, might as well. Or, at least, until the cold gets to me," Sonic shrugs, so far unbothered by the cold, despite not having anything other than his gloves and shoes on.

"Okay," the female nods and matches his pace, not having to worry about the cold.

"You know," the blue teen says after a few moments of silence. "the guys would love you if they knew..."

"Sonic, please, not this again," Amy groans, her ears flattening.

"I just don't understand, Amy! How does it feel _'wrong'_? Don't you want more than one, measly friend?"

"First off, you are no _'measly friend'_ , and second, it... it's like..." Amy struggles to find a way to explain the situation, especially when she failed to do so the first time they talked about this. "Well, it's like what drives you to be good. You know that feeling you get when other people offer you alcohol?" He nods, having encountered that a few times at some parties his friends dragged him to. "Well, I get that same feeling when I think about letting others know about my existence just so they can be my friend. It just doesn't feel... _right_." Amy's sighs sadly. "My instinct is all I have to help me in this 'life' of mine, and I won't risk losing it."

"... You also have me," Sonic says softly, giving the female an encouraging smile. She gives him a small one back.

' _For how long, though?'_ Amy silently thinks, knowing her blue friend would not be happy with that question if she voiced it. Someday, one of them will leave this world for good first; she hopes it will be her, though, so she could be where she _should've_ gone years ago.

A few more moments of silence passes before, "Does it ever feel wrong showing _me_ what you can do?"

The female hedgehog hesitates before she shakes her head, saying, "No. If anything, I actually feel like I _need_ to show you." Which is true, for the most part; there have been times when she'll yell across a room to tell him her new discovery, but then there are some things he doesn't know about either because of her own personal reasoning or because of that instinct of hers.

"Hmm, just another piece to add to this puzzle of a mystery," Sonic chuckles uneasily, not really sure on what else to do. It frustrates him to no end that they can't figure anything out. What kind of cruel divinity would make Amy suffer through all this? It's bad enough she and her family were murdered, but to make her feel like she is almost alive when she's still dead is just cruel to him. What's the point of her still growing? Of being noticed by no one other than him? Of still being in this world when her own family has moved on? Why?!

"Sonic," he feels her hand resting on his upper arm. "it's alright. I honestly believe this will all be solved some day." He looks at her and sees her hopeful jade eyes and her soothing smile.

"What gave me away?" he smiles in return, forcing himself to once again let go of his frustration.

"Your jaw and fists were clenched, and you stared stoically off into the distance," she says in a comically deep voice, trying to mimic his expression. He laughs. She drops her pose and giggles, glad to have made him smile. She hates it when he gets all negative, but fortunately, it doesn't happen often.

"Yeah, sorry. I just... worry." Sonic offers his friend a small smile, to which she returns, before a comfortable silence takes over. It isn't too long before the duo find themselves back home.

"I'm home!" Sonic calls out for a second time that day as they walk inside.

"Oh good, you're just in time to help me with dinner!" He hears his mother call from the kitchen.

"You know, I, uh, do believe I've got some studying to do, and-"

"Sonic, get your blue butt in this kitchen right now!"

"Okay," his sighs in defeat, his shoulders slumping.

"You should've just said 'okay' to begin with, then casually mention you've got homework to do. Then she would've felt bad for keeping you," Jules says as he flips through the TV channels.

"Oh, now you help," Sonic grumbles as he makes his way to the kitchen.

"Don't worry, Son. You'll get there," Jules chuckles, quite comfortable in his spot on the couch.

Aleena then calls, "Honey, I need you to come make the pasta!" Jules grimaces and his ears flatten.

"Or not," Sonic snickers at his father. Amy busts out laughing, and she takes a seat on the couch, the only one truly free from Aleena's power. The pink hedgehog smiles softly as she watches the father and son leave the room. She had that, once upon a time...

She really loves this family – almost as much as her own – and it's times like this when she wishes Aleena and Jules knew she exists. But, like she told Sonic earlier, she gets that same uneasy feeling after considering revealing herself to his parents. She really does have hope for all the answers being known some day, but she's not sure how to make it happen: she's tried searching for clues, but her memories prove unfruitful and it's not like there's absolute facts about ghosts. At this point, it looks like the best choice she has is to wait for the answers to find her. This path, however, scares her, for if she's learned anything from all her watching, it's those who wait for things to happen to them rather than work for it either don't get it or they get a lot more than they bargained for, and not in the good way.

Laughter sounds from kitchen, snapping Amy out of her troubling thoughts. She smiles again. As long as she has at least Sonic by her side, she's confident she'll be able to handle whatever is thrown at her.

The fourteen-year-old female watches the moon slowly rise and the clouds drift across the sky through a window.

Yes, someday everything will be straightened out, and when that day comes, she'll be ready.

* * *

 **This chapter is more of a filler and is to help get a feel of how home life is for them. Things should spice up from this point on. Again: so sorry for the late update!**

 **P.S. Guess who owns the cover image: my sister! Thanks, lil sis!**


	5. Secrets

**SpeedsMyGame , FireWitch25, John, ShadamyluvR, Seganumber1fan, thanks for the reviews!**

 **I own nothing but the plot. Cover belongs to my younger sister.**

* * *

 **Secrets**

"Ugh, this weekend was _way_ too short!" Sonic sighs as he plops down in his seat next to Tails.

"You say that about all weekends," the younger fox snorts.

"See? I told you," Amy smirks, having informed the hedgehog of the same thing earlier that morning.

"Well, this weekend especially was short. They should've given us a longer break after _semester finals_! I need more time to recuperate!" the dramatic blue hedgehog leans back in his chair to where it's balancing on its hind legs, and he laces his hands together behind his head as he closes his eyes. He really hates Mondays.

"What? You mean you actually have a brain to fry?" Espio casually asks from his seat in the row behind them, earning himself some snickers from those around them.

"That is not very nice, Espio," a peach echidna gazes at the purple chameleon, slight disappointment in her bright blue eyes.

"He knows I'm only kidding, Tikal," Espio assures the kind-hearted female; to disappoint her would mean you have royally screwed up. He certainly didn't want that.

"I dunno, Espio," Sonic clicks his tongue, eyes still shut. "I'm kinda feelin' a bit stung here." The blue hedgehog grins, feeling the holes the chameleon is burning into the back of his head right now. He can deny otherwise, but Sonic knows there is a reason for the reclusive chameleon choosing to sit there rather than the back like usual.

"Excuse me," an unfamiliar female voice says, catching the cobalt blue hedgehog's ear. "is this PreCalculus?" Sonic cracks open his eyes, and what he sees makes his emerald orbs fly open.

Mr. Williams glances at the new student from his desk. "It tells you the room number on your schedule, no?"

"Well yes-"

"Then this is obviously PreCalculus," the gray mongoose interrupts. "Your seat is over by Bunnie over there," the teacher dismisses and waves to the empty desk next to the yellow rabbit; right in front of Sonic's seat.

Mesmerized, Sonic watches the unimpressed brown chipmunk stalk to her seat, her auburn hair shimmering in the sunbeams that have managed to sneak through the classroom windows. Bold, blue eyes meet wild, green eyes. Her frown changes into a smile and she waves hello. The male rushes to untangle his hands from behind his head to return the gesture, but he nearly ends up falling out of his seat instead. The chipmunk laughs softly and takes her seat.

"Don't worry 'bout ol' grouchy pants there, suga. He's like that with everyone," Bunnie reassures her new neighbor, her country accent flowing naturally into her words. "I'm Bunnie Rabbot." She extends her left hand out towards the chipmunk.

"My name's Sally Acorn," Sally smiles and shakes Bunnie's metal hand, showing no signs of shock or curiosity about the rabbit's robotic legs and left arm.

' _Sally Acorn...'_

Tails notices the hedgehog's distracted demeanor. "Sonic, wha-"

"Shush!" The hedgehog strains his ears to listen to the conversing females, wanting to know more about the new student. The fox cocks up an eyebrow curiously, but obeys nonetheless.

While this all happens, Amy watches the whole thing, from Sally entering the room to Sonic's eavesdropping. She's no idiot; Amy _knows_ what the look on Sonic's face is. How could she forget it? She's already seen it once, and she knew she would see it again someday. She thought she had prepared herself for it too, but at this moment, she's not quite so sure about that.

Yes, she loves her blue friend, but that's the problem; she loves him more than she _should_. She's not sure when exactly it happened, but she remembers realizing it four years ago. That was not a good day.

Obviously she's never told him nor hinted it – she's not that selfish nor cruel. She values their friendship more than anything, and she'll be _damned_ if she's the one to ruin it! She's dead, so there's no future for her. The least she can do for her beloved hedgehog is make sure he ends up with a female of her approval.

Easier said than done, however.

" _Sonic_!" Mr. Williams shouts, snapping the speedster out of his stupor. "What, pray tell, is the answer to this equation?" the gray teacher points to the board, his voice curt.

There's two options for Sonic at this point: suck it up and obey the cranky teacher, or remind him who Sonic the Hedgehog is. Sonic smirks. _Easy_.

"Not a clue," he answers casually with a shrug, and he crosses his arms. "I was too busy counting the seconds left of this class."

"Oh Chaos," Amy groans, and she looks at the time, knowing the blue male is not prepared to back up his claim.

Chuckles resonate from students and they all turn their attention on the blue speedster, all eager to see how the situation unfolds this time – including Sally.

' _She's looking, keep cool!'_ Sonic holds his head higher.

"Oh I see, since you _are_ focused enough to actually be capable of such a thing," Mr. Williams sneers sarcastically.

"2,303 seconds!" Amy loudly informs Sonic, making sure he heard her. He's lucky _she_ is focused enough!

"2,301 seconds," Sonic smugly grins, glancing at his pink friend in gratitude. She forces a smile back. It's what _friends_ do...

The mongoose teacher frowns. "Then I guess you won't have any trouble doing today's assignment in Mr. Badger's office."

"You know I won't." Sonic gathers his things and stands.

Before this school year, Sonic has never been sent to the principal's office. That was before. Now he gets sent at least once a week, always for smart-mouthing the PreCalculus teacher. Luckily for him, Mr. Badger actually likes Sonic, therefore the hedgehog never gets a detention. Well, not for back-talking the cranky mongoose; tardies are a different subject.

The principal would fire the teacher were it not for some loophole having to do with being employed there at the school for over ten years or something like along those lines. All it translates down to is unless he does something way over the line or he decides himself when to leave, Mr. Williams's presence at the school is to be counted on.

"See ya later, bud," Sonic fist-bumps Tails, and he walks towards the door. Before he passes her, Sonic meets Sally's amused gaze, and he winks at her whilst giving her a thumbs-up: his signature pose, as Amy has dubbed it.

The pink female sadly watches as Sonic leaves and doesn't look back to see Sally's blush. Because Mr. Badger's office is practically next door, Amy is able to say behind and learn what Sonic is missing. It's the real reason as to why Sonic does this weekly: having the luxury to miss class and not fall behind. However, he'd be singing a different tune if his PreCalculus grade dropped, his parents would make sure of that.

The pink hedgehog hears stifled giggling, and she looks to see it originating from Bunnie and Sally, obviously talking about a certain blue male.

' _It's not my business,'_ Amy tells herself, and she focuses solely on the PreCalculus teacher. She has no chance, so therefore, _not_ her business.

Meanwhile, just down the hall, Sonic enters the principal's office. The white badger turns his head away from his file cabinet upon hearing his door open, and he spots Sonic.

"Already starting off your semester, eh, Sonic?"

"Something like that," the hedgehog shrugs while grinning, and he takes his usual seat: the chair at the badger's desk meant for visitors. The principal chuckles and sits across from his well-known student.

"I was actually just fixing to call you in here."

"Really? What for?"

"Well, I'm not really allowed to tell you the details – not that I know them anyway – but what I can tell you is you and a selected few are to report to the gym at four o'clock today."

"Selected? Selected for what?" Sonic wracks his brain, trying to think of what they could possibly be chosen for.

"I can't say," the older mobian shrugs. "but I was told it will be explained to you at that time."

"And if I choose not to go?"

"Then I guess you'll never know what you were selected for."

"Hmm." Sonic looks out the office window to view the snow-covered world, thoughts flying through his head. What could this meeting possibly be for? Who's all coming? And what's with the secrecy? All this hush-hush business isn't sitting very well with him.

The blue speedster looks around for Amy, hoping to see if she has any thought about the matter, but then he remembers she's back in PreCalculus, being the awesome friend that she is. She's also in the same room as Sally... Thinking of the pretty chipmunk and his pink friend, Sonic can't help but to grimace. Hopefully the past won't repeat itself...

The rest of the period passes by as usual: Sonic and the principal chit-chatting and Amy soaking up the knowledge she'll have to teach her blue friend later.

"Did Mr. Williams's mood improve any after I left?" Sonic asks Amy after meeting back up after the end of the period, knowing the answer already. He can't help but to ask it every time he's sent away, though.

"Of course not," the fourteen-year-old snorts. "but, uh, S-Sally kinda helped keep it that way," Amy forces out, full-well knowing it would catch Sonic's attention. So far, the female chipmunk actually seems pretty nice, so this time Amy will truly try her hardest not to be biased towards her.

"Really?" The bit of information did indeed snag the blue teen's attention. It conquered his thoughts so much, in fact, that he forgot to watch for where he was walking.

The blue hedgehog collides with another, resulting in papers and books being strewn about and in an, "Oof!"

"Ah, geez," Sonic immediately crouches down to collect all their belongings. "I'm sorry, I wasn't watching were I-" The cobalt blue hedgehog's words suddenly cut off from his constricting throat when he realizes just who he's apologizing to.

"It's alright, I wasn't watching where I was going either," Sally admits as she finishes collecting her things. She finally looks up and she stills as well, but unlike him, only for a couple seconds.

"I, er, um, Sonic, is it?" she blurts out, frustrated that not only she could not think of something better to say but she also couldn't even say a complete sentence.

Sonic manages to unfreeze. "I, er, yeah. That's me!" he chuckles nervously. _'Smooth, hedgehog. Smooth.'_ "And you're Sally, right?"

"Yes, that's me!" she teasingly says, internally happy he managed to remember her name. Maybe she isn't such a hopeless case.

He chuckles. "Well, Sally, sorry again for runnin' into ya like that."

"No worries, Sonic." What a cool name! "I was at fault as well."

"Sonic, you're running out of time," Amy warns, making sure she's got his attention. It's not because of _Sally_ ; of course not. He just doesn't need a tardy on the first day of the semester.

"Well, Sal, I better be gettin' to Study Hall." The blue-eyed chipmunk beams at the nickname while Amy winces. It took months before she got _her_ nickname...

"With Ms. Longmire?" He nods. "That's where I'm headed too!" Sally grins, struggling to keep her voice from going to high. _'Easy, girl. Don't start fawning over him now.'_

"Then follow me, milady." Sonic bows with a cheeky grin. Sally laughs and walks alongside the hedgehog. Amy walks slowly behind the pair, not only to give her friend his long-overdue space but to also give _herself_ some distance. She promised herself to stand aside and let Sonic be with who he chooses, but she _didn't_ promise herself a front-row seat.

"Say, Sonic," Sally hesitantly says. _'No backing out now.'_ "Since you missed today's lesson in PreCalculus, I was wondering if you'd like some help? If you need it, that is."

Amy involuntarily cracks a smile. _'That's sweet of her, but he already has me to-'_

"Sure! I mean, if it's no trouble to ya," Sonic rubs the back of his head – a nervous habit of his – hoping the chipmunk didn't notice his eagerness.

"It's not trouble at all," Sally smiles sweetly, oblivious to the hedgehog's excitement since she's too busy dealing with her own.

Amy, who of course immediately pinpoints both Sonic and Sally's eagerness, feels her soul ache. She has always taken pride in tutoring Sonic; it makes her feel _needed._ However, she just witnessed just how _easily_ she can be replaced. That's the reality of it all, however; he doesn't need her. She certainly doesn't doubt how he cares for her – she's never had a real reason to – but his world won't fall apart should she suddenly leave, not like how hers would should _he_ be the one to leave. She will always be nothing more than a friend to him. Always. In fact, she also knows it's only a matter of time before the blue male gets truly tired of her presence, if he hasn't started to already. She has always known this but has only recently come to terms with it, despite that promise he made her. It's inevitable.

 **oOo**

"Ooooh, that empty-headed, rude hedgehog! What did I ever do to him?! I'll tell you what: NOTHING!" recently-turned ten-year-old Amy fumed. It had been a little over three months since Sonic befriended Tails, and she was getting fed up with his decreasing acknowledgements of her in public. How difficult was it to smile at her comments? To glance at her to see if she was enjoying herself? Apparently, it was really hard!

The young hedgehog had just tried getting the blue one's attention while he played Ball Tag with his other friends, but not so surprisingly, she had failed. Sonic had just shrugged her off and sped off after Knuckles. She had no choice but to sit off to the side of the playground and simply watch as everyone one else had fun.

"Why does he get to ignore me? He can choose where to go, who to talk to, and everything else I wish I could do while I can't even leave to go back home!" How she wished she was back at the house watching Aleena and Jules go about their weekend instead of being in her current position! "I just... I just wish to do _one_ thing on my own. Just one." Sadness replacing her anger, Amy drew her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them, her arms wrapping around her curled-up legs.

The pink hedgehog sat there, consumed by her emotional thoughts, until she realized she didn't hear laughter anymore. She raised her head and her jade eyes widen in shock, finding she was no longer at the park.

She was at the cemetery – more specifically: her grave.

"How..." Amy looked all around, searching for any signs of Sonic, but she found none.

"Hello? Sonic?" she called out while standing, slowly starting to panic. There was no answer. Beyond confused, the pink hedgehog ran towards the cemetery exit, wanting nothing more than to get out of there and to find Sonic. However. An unknown force prevented her from stepping a single foot out of the borders, frightening the young female even more.

"Sonic! Where are you?!" Just what on Mobius was going on?!

Before Amy could go into full-panic mode, she heard Sonic's voice distantly call, "Amy?"

"Sonic?" She frantically looked around, but she couldn't even glimpse a single shade of blue!

"Ames, where are ya?"

"I'm here, Sonic!" she cried, tears starting to cascade down her muzzle. Could they not see each other? Did she lose the only tie she had left to the world?

All of a sudden, she felt it. There, that same feeling she got when she teleported back to Sonic's side. Amy clung to the feeling like her existence depended on it, and she saw the cemetery fade away right before her eyes.

" _There_ you are!" Amy's eyes readjusted and she found herself back home, a confused and concerned Sonic before her. "Where have ya been, Ames? Didn't ya hear me callin'? And why are you crying?"

"I-" Amy had been ready to tell the other hedgehog what she had just experienced, but she froze. Her thoughts went back to the cemetery, and she felt that familiar tug. If she wanted to, she knew she could have gone back – with or without Sonic – but what would Sonic do if he found out?

"Amy?" the said hedgehog asked worriedly. He would make use of her ability and send her away when he needed his space, that's what he would do. She can't be left alone like that. She just _can't_.

"Do you wish me gone?" she sniffled.

His face morphed to one of shock. "What?"

"Do you wish me gone?" she repeated, struggling to keep her tears at bay. Of course he wanted her gone, his negligence was proof!

"Of course not! Why would you ask that?"

"Because you _only_ pay attention to your other friends when they're around!" a few tears managed to escape. "You want me _gone_."

"No I don't, Amy," Sonic argued softly, not wanting to worsen her tears.

"Yes you do!"

"You think I'm lying?" he asked, his blue fur slightly bristled. If there's anything that he hated, it's being accused of lying.

"YES!" the ten-year-old hedgehog suddenly wailed, her crying turned into sobs. "W-why w-wouldn't you w-want m-me gone?" Sonic's annoyance vanished the second her heart-wrenching cries escaped. It was then that it had truly hit him: he was literally all she had, and the slightest hint of her losing him scared her more than anything. He felt guilty for not realizing this sooner.

"I wasn't trying to ignore you on purpose, Amy, I swear." the blue hedgehog said as comfortingly as he could. "I don't see my other friends nearly as often as I do you, so I was just tryin' to make up for that. I never meant to hurt your feelings or scare you like I did," he said apologetically.

"Y-you mean it?" she hiccuped, trying to get control of herself.

"I swear on chili dogs!" He grinned upon hearing her laugh shakily, sounding more calm. "Ames," his emerald eyes locked with her jade ones and he continues with sincerity, "even if you could leave, I wouldn't want you to. You're my best friend, and I'll _never_ let you be alone."

"Promise?" she whispered vulnerably.

"I promise," he nodded. Amy flung her arms around his torso and hugged him tightly. How could she have accused him of such a thing? Did she not know him? Of course Sonic would have never intentionally hurt her, and she was foolish to have thought otherwise. She should have known he was just giving his friends their deserved attention, and that her thoughts were selfish ones. She knew then, though, and she was going to remember it for next time.

Having gotten more used to her emotion-driven actions, he embraced her back, glad to have been some comfort to his dear friend.

Amy's new discovery danced in the back of her mind as the friends hugged, waiting for its turn in the spotlight, but she repressed it. Sonic didn't need to know. He didn't want her to go – he said so himself – so she didn't have to tell him.

At least, that's what she'd tell herself.

 **oOo**

' _He promised,"_ Amy watches as Sally teaches Sonic what he missed last period, smiles on both their muzzles. _'but I understand. He'll try otherwise, but I'm meant to be alone. My world is centered around him, but his will never be centered around me.'_ The blue hedgehog busts out laughing at something Sally said, his darling emerald eyes sparkling with life.

 _'I'll always be alone...'_

* * *

 ** _"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on" ~ Robert Frost_**

 **Like the quote? I get them daily and figured I'd share ones that relates best to new chapters. Also, incase you guys can't tell, I don't hate Sally. So no, she's not gonna suddenly morph into a nasty witch.**

 **Anyway, please review/favorite!**


	6. New Semester, New Ball Game

**ByNoName , John, ShadamyluvR, WierdestDreams, Seganumber1fan, FatalEncounter, MidnightStarz15, SpeedsMyGame, thanks for the reviews! I'm so excited with all of the attention this is getting (definitely lookin' at you, FatalEncounter)!**

 **I own nothing but the plot. Cover belongs to my younger sister.**

* * *

 **New Semester, New Ball Game**

"Hey, isn't she new?" Mighty asks, looking towards the front of the cafeteria.

"Who?" Tails asks, struggling to see over the sea of student heads.

"That chipmunk chick standing over there."

Sonic's head suddenly whips up, his ears perked. "Sally?" Sure enough, the blue-eyed chipmunk stands awkwardly before the group of tables and students seated at them, searching for a place to sit.

"Hey, Sal! Over here!" Sonic hollars, waving down the lost-looking chipmunk. Sally smiles upon spotting him – happy to see a familiar face – and she makes her way over to where the hedgehog is seated.

"That sure got his attention," Espio comments, observing how the blue hedgehog is completely focused on the approaching female.

"You have _no_ idea," Amy grumbles, full-well knowing he can't hear her. Someone could mention 'blue eyes' and Sonic would probably instantly think of that chipmunk!

"Here, ya can sit righ' next ta me, hun," Bunnie says to Sally before Sonic can offer the seat next to him. He brushes off his disappointment, though. He'll have plenty of other chances to know the female chipmunk better, since they share five out of their eight classes together; that's more than any of his other friends, if he remembers correctly.

"Have you met everyone here, Sally?" Tikal asks with a friendly smile.

"Umm," the blue-eyed chipmunk sheepishly looks around the table. "I recognize most of your faces, but I'm not quite recalling all your names."

"That's alright. It took Silver weeks before he finally got it right!" Sonic winks at her.

"Hey! Give me a break! Who names their kid _'Sonic'?_ "

"Who names their kid _'Silver'?_ " the speedster throws back before he turns his attention back to Sally.

"Anyway, we'll just do a quick introduction for ya." He points to the person on his right, the plan being to introduce everyone going counter-clockwise. "This is Miles Prower: kid genius who should be a freshman were it not for his brain,"

"Call me Tails," the fox smiles.

"Knuckles the Echidna: a hardhead that is our age," Sally receives a smile and a nod from the red echidna after he scowls at Sonic. "Mighty the Armadillo: he's pretty chill and is the same age," Mighty waves hello. "Espio the Chameleon: he doesn't talk too much, but it doesn't mean he doesn't have fire in him. He's also a junior" The chameleon just nods in acknowledgement. "Rouge the Bat: she's in our grade too, and don't freak is she flirts with ya, she does that to everyone. Especially Knuckles,"

"Hey girl," the white bat winks.

"Tikal the Echidna: this crazy-nice girl skipped her freshman year and ended up in our grade"

"Wonderful to meet you," the peach-colored echidna warmly smiles.

"Cosmo the Seedrian: she's been homeschooled until this year and is a freshman," The green seedrian smiles bashfully and waves. "Blaze the Cat: she has pyrokinetic abilities and is our age too," The purple feline smiles in greeting. "you know Bunnie, but what you probably don't know is she got into an accident as a kid,"

"Drunk driver. Luckily Tails's family are close friends ta me and my family, and his parents were able ta save me," the rabbit explains while gesturing to her robotic limbs, unabashed.

"Silver the Hedgehog has telekinetic powers and is our age,"

"Heeeey!" the hedgehog greets with a wink and a wave.

"and – save the best for last – yours truly: the fastest being alive!" Sonic finishes with a small bow. Knuckles snorts.

"Are you and Tikal related?" Sally asks the red echidna, not only because of their last name but also because of some physical similarities she's noticed.

"Yeah, she's my younger sister."

"A younger sister that is smart enough to be in our grade," Silver smirks, trying to provoke the male echidna.

"I could skip a grade too if I wanted!" This makes all the guys snicker.

"Then you and Tikal would not be able to see each other as much," Cosmo points out.

"Exactly! You see, _Silver_ , I'm still a junior only for the sake of my sister!" No way is he going to admit he isn't as smart as Tikal; he's got a reputation to keep!

"Our parents are divorced and have separated me and Knuckles," Tikal clarifies for Sally. "School and social gatherings are really the only times we are able to spend time together."

"I'm sorry," Sally couldn't imagine being separated from _her_ older brother like that!

"We wouldn't let either of them transfer us to different schools, and things _will_ change once I'm eighteen, so no worries," Knuckles shrugs indifferently. Amy smiles. Being the hard-headed mobian he is, she knows that what he said is a _fact_ rather than an empty promise. He takes his role as an older brother seriously, something Amy has always liked best about him.

"Hey, speaking of social gatherings, anybody up for bowling tonight? It's only a matter of time before homework and ACT Prep hits us full force here!" Mighty grimaces. "Oh, and of course, you're invited too, Sally."

"I'd love to," she smiles. It's her first day and she's already making a lot of friends!

"Maybe. I've got plans after school and I don't know how long it'll take," Sonic answers regretfully. He spoke to Amy about the mystery meeting, and she told him he should attend. What he doesn't know is she told him to go only because she felt he _needed_ to go. Of course, she has no particular reason why, but, as usual, they'll just have to wait and see if they can figure it out.

"Me too," Rouge, Espio, Blaze, and Silver all say at the same time, exchanging curious looks afterwards.

 _'Could they be going to the meeting too?'_ Sonic mentally asks himself, and he arches a questioning brow at them.

"Well _fine!_ The rest of us will go bowling while you guys do whatever," Knuckles huffs, suspicion written all over his face.

"I don't know about them, but what my plans are for later this evening is none of your concern," Espio states.

"Hmm," The red echidna expected as much from the chameleon, but the last time Sonic, Rouge, and Silver were elsewhere, Knuckles found his school locker not only decorated in a princess theme, but it also had his baby pictures taped _all over_ the outside of it! That's what he gets for being born...

"Oh come on, Knux! We were just celebrating the day Mobius gained a new princess!" Sonic snickers, also remembering the echidna's last birthday. A vein appears on Knuckles's forehead.

"Hedgehog, I swear-"

 _RRIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNGG!_

"Whelp, gotta run!" The blue speedster zooms off, leaving behind a fuming echidna, and he dumps his tray before Amy is through transporting back to his side.

"What are you playing today, Sonic?" Amy asks as the cobalt blue hedgehog makes his way to his next class, Music Appreciation.

"Eh, still number 12 on page 73," Sonic answers. "It's that same blasted chord that keeps givin' me trouble!"

"You'll get it. You always do," Amy rolls her eyes. The guitar class is Sonic's favorite, as well as hers. Sonic's naturally gifted at playing the guitar, and with Mr. Crocodile's – or as all his students refer to him as, Vector – teachings, Sonic has a very good chance of being a professional guitarist for his career, if he wanted.

"Thanks, Am-"

"Hey, Sonic! Wait up!" Sonic turns around and grins. Music Appreciation is going to be even better now, what with having a certain chipmunk in the class too and all. Amy just sighs dejectedly, knowing she won't be able to speak with Sonic until eighth period, when he _doesn't_ have a class with Sally.

Once Sally finally catches up, the speedster continues walking.

"So, Sal, are ya- OOF!" For a second time that day, the cobalt blue speedster runs into someone.

'Both times he was distracted by _her_ ,' Amy mentally notes with a roll of her eyes, and she looks to see who he hit this time.

"Sorry 'bo-"

"Watch where you are going!" a red and black hedgehog snaps, the same hedgehog from last week.

"Hey, _easy_!" Sonic exclaims in annoyance as the ebony hedgehog pushes past him and continues down the hall.

"How rude!" Sally scoffs with narrowed eyes. She turns back towards Sonic. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he waves off her concern. "just not lookin' forward to havin' another jerk at this school." Neither Amy nor Sonic missed the school uniform the hedgehog is adorned in this time.

"You mean he's new here too?"

"Yeah, the gang and I saw him last week, but he wasn't enrolled then. He must've been touring the school or something," Sonic mutters the last bit to himself, not _quite_ sure of what to make of the new student. The blue speedster definitely doesn't like him, but the ebony hedgehog doesn't seem to fit in Scourge's crowd either, which, he guesses, is a good thing; one Scourge is enough.

"Come on, let's get to class." Sonic and Sally walk into Mr. Crocodile's room right down the hall that they are in while Amy stays put, staring curiously at the door the black and red hedgehog went through.

 _'Never would've pegged him as the artsy kind,'_ she thinks to herself. Sonic hasn't taken any of the art classes, but the band room – where Music Appreciation is held – is close enough to the Art room for Amy to go and visit when she grows tired of Sonic's guitar practice. If she were alive, she would chose to take Art, since drawing is one of the best soothing mechanisms she has.

"Maybe he still needs his arts credit," the pink female mutters out loud, and she makes her way over to the room. She doesn't bother with letting Sonic know. She doubts he'll even notice her absence, not with Sally around, anyway.

She walks through the wall and enters the room, the dark hedgehog predictably located at the back of the room, alone. She doesn't feel pity, however; she can see his location is his personal choice.

"Shadow the Hedgehog?" the Art teacher, Mr. Lynx, calls out, taking attendance.

"Present," the ebony hedgehog responds, his voice low and monotone-like. The pink hedgehog tilts her head, truly intrigued by Shadow. She considers herself a professional when it comes to reading others – especially after watching as many people as she has – yet she's having troubles pinpointing Shadow. He definitely isn't the friendly, social kind, but he doesn't really give off that uncaring vibe either, not like other people she's encountered. Shadow's obviously a loner, but did he choose that for himself or is it forced upon him?

 _'Agh, with every observation I make, there's always a 'but' to counteract it!'_

"Ugh, I hate complexities," Amy grumbles aloud, but moves closer to where the male hedgehog is seated, regardless.

Today's assignment for the class is to simply sketch the vase full of flowers placed at the front of the room with pencil, and with the little bit Shadow has drawn so far, Amy can already tell he's got some _skills_.

"I bet no one ever guesses you are the artsy kind, huh?" The pink hammer-wielder asks the ebony hedgehog, not expecting him to hear and answer her. She has the tendency of talking to mobians that attract her attention. Usually it's either out of boredom or she's secretly ranting about her blue hedgehog. This time, though, it's to help sort out at least a portion of her emotional turmoil.

"Then again, you're probably a lot of things no one can guess, including me." She perches herself on the edge of the table. "You know, your name certainly fits you: dark and off to the side where people usually ignore you. At least they can _choose_ whether or not they should acknowledge you. I could rip up your paper right now and you would never know it was me," Amy's ears lower in sadness, but she's quick to shake it off.

"My, aren't I a downer today?" she smiles lightly. "Well, after how my day has been going so far, I guess, could you really blame me? It's no one's fault, really. She's pretty and nice and he has _no idea_ about my feelings. Even if he did know, me being three years younger than him would also be an obstacle. At least, it's a problem while he's still in high school." She then shakes her head and lightly laughs at herself. "Even dead, I'm still having typical teenage-girl problems!" Shadow continues to draw, his paper starting to become an exact replica of the real vase towards the front of the room.

"I think I've finally decided," Amy nods as she watches the black and red hedgehog. "I think I like you. You're no ray of sunshine, but I don't think you're bad, either." Shadow's ear twitches and he erases some excess shading on his sketching. "No, I don't think you're bad at all."

 **XXX**

"Dude, if _one_ thing is out of place tomorrow..."

"Knucklehead, I already told ya! It has _nothing_ to do with you!" Sonic tells the echidna for what feels like the billionth time. This is probably what he gets for that last prank of his. Though, one would think they'd tire of threatening the same thing over and over again!

"I'm just saying. And don't call me Knucklehead!"

"Then would ya lay off? I heard ya the last bajillion times!" Sonic rolls his eyes. "See ya later, Knux. I'll let you guys know if I'll come bowling or not."

"Alright, fine. See ya." They then part ways: Sonic to the locker room and Knuckles to his car out front.

"So," Sonic says to Amy after a few moments of silence – not the usual comfortable silence, Sonic noticed. "you've been pretty quiet today, Ames. Something up?"

Amy tenses. _'He noticed?'_

"I'm just... having an off day," she shrugs.

"Oh. Well, I'm all ears if ya need to talk."

"I know. You always have been," she smiles. _'But I can't very well talk about you_ to _you, now can I?'_

"And I always will be." Amy has to force her smile this time. She knows he's wrong, but she'll save him from reality and let him continue to believe that.

 _'Chaos! Whatever happened to that 'whatever happens, happens' attitude? Stop with this pity party and appreciate what you_ do _have!'_ Amy scolds herself, and while Sonic showers, she does just that. She knows she can have it so much worse, so she needs to lighten up before karma punishes her and takes away all the freedoms she _does_ have!

By the time Sonic is through with his shower, it's almost four o'clock, and Amy feels more like her usual, upbeat self.

"Ready to see what all this hubbub is all about?"

"I just hope we don't miss Tikal getting frustrated!" Amy giggles. Of all the things the gentle echidna could get competitive about, she chooses bowling. It at least provides entertainment for everyone else, especially for Cosmo – the only one who has the ability to beat Tikal.

"Agreed." The duo walk to the gym, where they also find Rouge, Espio, Blaze, Silver, Scourge, and Fiona.

"So you guys _are_ part of the meeting!" the blue hedgehog says to his four friends, and he nods in acknowledgement to the other two. He may not be fond of them, but he'll still be nice. At least, until they start something.

"If you five are here, then this obviously isn't for something fun," the red vixen snorts and crosses her arms.

"I was thinkin' the same thing, Fi," Scourge smirks, and he wraps his arm around his girlfriend's waist. Even alone, those two are rotten; they're practically perfect for each other. However, with the way they are, who knows how long they'll last?

"Pft, please. I'm only here for the hunk responsible for this 'meeting'," Rouge scoffs. Blaze turns towards the bat.

"You know who that is?"

"Of course I do! It's him." She points to the gym doors off to their right, and as if on cue, a familiar black and red hedgehog walks in. If Amy was confused by Shadow before, she's mystified by him now! She thought he was just a new student, but now she can't help but wonder, _'Just_ who _is this hedgehog?'_

"Hey, I know you!" Silver exclaims, remembering the dark hedgehog he and the gang saw last week.

"Oh? Then who am I?" Shadow arches an eyebrow.

"Well, I mean I've, uh, _seen_ you... before," Silver hesitantly corrects, not used to such an intense and focused gaze like he's receiving from the ebony hedgehog right now.

"Hmph," Shadow walks in front of the group of seven – eight if the female spirit is to be included – and he halts before them, his crimson eyes scanning over the group.

"I am Shadow the Hedgehog, one of G.U.N.'s top agents." If he didn't have all of their attention before, he certainly does now! G.U.N. is the top law enforcer in Mobius, and every single one of its employees have skills, including the desk workers! Now, here before their very eyes, is one of their top agents! "You are all here because each of you have at least one valuable skill that G.U.N. could use. For the rest of this semester, I will be in charge of training you and deducing whether or not you are valuable enough to be a part of G.U.N. If you are indeed worthy, then you will spend your senior year not only fulfilling your academic requirements, but you will also be training to be one of the elite agents. Age is not something that will hinder you, for I have only been in the field for nearly nine months now," the black hedgehog states, wordlessly telling them of all the possibilities they could achieve if they tried.

"What if I don't want any part of this sh- ACK!" Scourge falls backwards into the bleachers behind him, clutching his neck. Shadow lowers his arm, a silver hand gun in his hand.

"Then know that there is a tiny, unique vial in your neck that is set to release the poison inside should it detect you speaking of this matter to anyone else or if you try to dig it out." All the other students either fearfully take a step back or hold their ground, fear still on their face, though. Amy watches Shadow's impassive face in shock. Is she wrong about him? Surely he isn't doing this _willingly_?

"Is that really necessary?!" Sonic exclaims, angered by the danger Scourge is now in.

"The only other civilian who knows about this gathering is your principal, and he still does not know what it is about, nor will he ever know. G.U.N. takes their secrecy very seriously." With that said, Shadow – with precise aim and impressive speed – shoots vial-enclosed darts into the other six mobians' necks, hitting the blue speedster first.

"No!" Amy shrieks, fearing for Sonic's safety. What if the vial malfunctions?!

"The vials will be removed at the end of the semester, whether or not you chose to train." Shadow calmly informs them. "Now, are there any questions?"

"These vials won't malfunction, correct?" Espio asks, not too keen with the whole I-could-be-dead-tomorrow idea.

"As long as you are able to keep a secret and leave it be, then they will not activate," Shadow confirms.

"Are you just going to choose one of us, or do all of us have a chance of passing?" Silver questions. He'd hate to leave _all_ of his friends behind if he did choose to join G.U.N., especially a certain female... That is, if he isn't poisoned first!

"I am not limited to choosing only one person. The question is, however, how many of you are willing to accept this opportunity?"

Scourge sneers at Shadow, but otherwise remains wordless. Oh, Scourge is strong enough alright, and when he's at the top of his game, he'll show this high-and-mighty hedgehog _exactly_ what he thinks!

As for everyone else, the promise of improvement and of the means to actually make a difference in this world – good and bad, depending on the person – appeals to each and every one of them greatly.

"Sonic," Amy softly says, noticing the blue hedgehog's hesitant look. "you have talents no normal person can help you with. Try out the training. See what potential they can get out of you."

"But he just shot those darts at us without any remorse!" the blue speedster quietly argues, annoyed he didn't react fast enough to dodge it. "What if the rest of G.U.N. is like that?"

"It doesn't mean _you_ have to be. You said you wanted to do something that helps people," she points out, remembering their last discussion of what Sonic wanted to do for a career. "Just see how this semester will go. If you pass, then you can decide if this is something you want to do." He thinks about her words, and he eventually nods. He wasn't going to get another chance like this again.

"I'm in," he states, slightly surprising the others. His friends also chime in their agreement. If Sonic is willing to do it, why shouldn't they?

"And you two?" Shadow looks at the green hedgehog and red vixen.

"We'll play along," Scourge shrugs, a dark glint flashing in his ice blue eyes.

"Very well. Starting tomorrow morning, training will be every day-"

" _'Every day'_?"

" _Every_ day," he repeats with a glare at Rouge. "and it will occur at one of G.U.N.'s training facilities here in Station Square."

"I didn't know there's a training facility here," Fiona comments.

"That is the point, you are not _supposed_ to know," Shadow huffs. "There will be one hour of training every weekday before school starts and two hours on the weekend mornings as well."

"Whelp, there goes my sleep!" Sonic groans. Then on the side, he mutters to Amy, "Why do I listen to you?"

"Because I'm smarter," she grins teasingly. This will be good for him. Her blue hedgehog has _way_ too much energy anyways.

Shadow slightly smirks at everyone's disgruntled face. Especially the blue one's. "I shall be undercover and be enrolled as a senior here, so do not be stupid, or else you will have to answer to me. Now, come get your training uniforms."

* * *

 ** _"Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness." ~_ Desmond Tutu**

 **Please review/favorite!**


	7. Oh the Potential!

**Three words: _'work'_ and _'college preparation'_ T_T**

 **SpeedsMyGame , FireWitch25, ShadamyluvR, Seganumber1fan, JohnW435, SconnieSA, MidnightStarz15, Skyelara, Chaotic Reflections, Stealthwolf11, thanks so much for the reviews! If any of ya enjoy Shadamy, check out MidnightStarz15: such a sweet person and a good author!**

 ** _REFRESHER:_ oOo = Flashback, XXX = Time skip, — (line) = start/end of a chapter or totally different P.O.V. elsewhere.**

 **I own nothing but the plot. Cover belongs to my younger sister.**

* * *

 **Oh the Potential!**

"Sonic!" Nothing. Then, "SONIC!" accompanied with rough shaking. Still nothing.

"I can't believe I'm back to waking up your lazy butt," Amy grumbles, wracking her brain on how to awaken him this time. He was _just_ getting the hang of waking up on his own too!

The pink hedgehog suddenly gets an idea. With a devious grin, she climbs on Sonic's bed and stands to the right of his sleeping form. Amy snaps out her hammer and takes her stance.

"Fore!" She swings hard enough to launch the blue hedgehog out of his bed but not enough to hurt him.

A loud _thud_ sounds and an, "Ouch!"

Well, not _too_ much anyway.

"Hurry up! You're going to be late for training!" Amy says as she hops off the bed.

"You couldn't have been nicer about it?" Sonic groans as he stands, rubbing his aching back.

"Don't you think I try that first? I'll be lucky if I can get you to roll over!" the fourteen-year-old scoffs.

Before Sonic can retaliate, Aleena calls from downstairs, "Sonic? Are you alright? I thought I heard something!"

"Yeah, I'm fine! I just, uh, accidentally rolled out of bed!" he calls back, making sure to cast Amy a dirty look.

"Oh, Son." Sonic can just envision his mother's amused face and her shaking head. "Well, keep rolling! You'll be late for Judo!"

Scrunching his face up in confusion, he asks himself, " _Judo_?" He takes a breath to ask his mom what the heck she's talking about, but Amy clamps her hand over his mouth in that same instant.

"It's the coverup, _remember_?" she says quietly, even though he's the only one who can hear her. Old habits die hard...

"Ohhhh," Sonic's muffled voice sounds from under her palm. He forgot that the group's coverup for training was judo lessons. Not being able to tell his parents what he's really up to irritates him immensely, but it's not like he has a choice in the matter, what with having a poison-encased vial in his neck and all. At least, as far as he knows, Judo is the closest to the truth that it can get!

"I don't hear movement!" Aleena calls up. Sonic removes Amy's mitt from his muzzle.

"Alright, alright!" The cobalt blue hedgehog flings his covers off of him, and he hops out of his bed, heading over to the pile of clothing he received the previous day: dark gray sweatpants and a dry-fit black short-sleeve shirt.

"At least they're comfy." Sonic then spots the black combat boots he and the others are expected to wear at all times during training, unless directed otherwise. "Well, for the most part. Why can't I at least wear _my_ shoes? All these bulky things are going to do is slow me down!"

"Oh quit whining," Amy says with a roll of her eyes.

"I'm not whining!"

"Yes, you are. I haven't seen soldiers wear running shoes like yours. Have you?"

"No, but-"

"Then those boots obviously serve a purpose." Amy interrupts. "Now quit standing around and get ready!"

"Between you and mom, I might as well be in the army," Sonic grumbles as he heads to the bathroom to do his morning routines.

"You're still whiniiiiing!" Amy says after him, giggling after hearing his exasperated groan. She can't help but to razz him in the mornings; he's just too cute all pouty like this!

Ten minutes later, Sonic is out in the cold, brightening world, waving to his parents. It's weird for him to actually be up early enough to say goodbye to his parents. Under normal circumstances, he'd still be asleep right now!

"So, what do you think Shadow will have you do?" Amy asks the seventeen-year-old as he speeds through the snowy streets of Station Square.

' _Hopefully he doesn't slip on some ice again.'_ Amy keeps an eye out for suspicious areas of snow. Sonic didn't fall the last time he found ice, but he did slide in a comedic fashion down an entire street, unable to stop or get any sort of traction!

"Ya know, Ames," he replies, also keeping an eye out for ice patches. His boots are good for one thing, at least. "I'm not sure. I highly doubt it'll be anything easy, though." At least, Sonic hopes it won't be easy. It annoys him every time he has to hold himself back in sports. In fact, it's the main reason why he doesn't do running events in Track. He understands the _'give others a chance'_ and _'share the glory'_ arguments, but then there's hardly any fun left in it for him!

A nearing streak of green catches Sonic's eye, and he stops before they can collide.

' _At least I have_ some _challenge,'_ Sonic mentally says as Scourge also comes to a halt.

"Hey, Wimp, you remember where this place is?"

"Morning to ya too," Sonic smirks, ignoring his green rival's insult. "What makes you think I'll tell you?"

"'Cause I'll race you there," Scourge grins, knowing Sonic – as well as himself – can't turn down a race.

"Hmm, how tempting..." Sonic rubs his chin in mock thinking, while Amy narrows her eyes suspiciously at the blue speedster.

"...You don't know where it is either, do you?"

He answers her with a glance in her direction and a, "Heh."

"Ugh," she rolls her eyes. Seriously, what would this hedgehog do without her? He's about to partake in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he can't even remember where he's supposed to go! "It's 132 on 6th Avenue."

"Alright, Scourge," Sonic says as he straightens. "I accept. It's 132 on 6th Avenue."

"You're welcome," Amy crosses her arms, unable to hold back her chuckle. He can be a pain, but that's her Sonic!

"Gotcha. _Readysetgo_!" Scourge immediately takes off, hoping to get a lead. Unfortunately for him, Sonic is familiar with his ways, and the blue speedster departs the same instant that Scourge does.

The two hedgehogs zoom through the awakening city, neck-and-neck, and Amy – calmly traveling alongside Sonic, as usual – keeps a sharp eye on the green cheater; Sonic tends to get caught up in his races, leaving her to watch out for foul play. As they near the facility, however, Amy finds herself feeling surprised. For once, Scourge hasn't tried a single thing to hinder Sonic.

' _He must not be a morning person too.'_

 _129... 130... 131..._

Both hedgehogs screech to a halt at the same time. Before he can turn and argue with his blue opponent about who won, Scourge gets distracted by the building.

" _Seriously_?" he sneers in disgust.

"What?" Sonic finally takes notice of the building and his shoulders slump. "Aw maaan. Why, out of all the others, did it have to be _this_ gym?!"

"I swear to Chaos, if that bird says _one_ thing..." Scourge makes a punching motion.

"Let's just get inside," Sonic sighs, hoping Jet knows absolutely _nothing_ about this. It's bad enough having that green hawk constantly brag about things Sonic doesn't care to pay attention to, but he definitely doesn't need to hear how Jet's father's oh-so-successful gym also harbors G.U.N.'s secret training facility!

The duo walk into the large building, searching for Shadow and keeping an eye out for a certain green mobian in case luck is not on their side. Sonic isn't fond of Jet because of his attitude and his selective conscious, while Scourge just flat out dislikes the bird.

"Hey, Babe! Over here!" Fiona waves to her boyfriend from a corner of the gym, where the others are as well.

"Let me guess: race?" Silver asks Sonic after the two speedsters join the group.

"Yep," Sonic nods, then adds loudly, "Which, I totally won!"

"Just keep lying to yourself, Wimp," Scourge replies, his arm wrapped around his red vixen.

"Enough nonsense," Shadow says after suddenly appearing from seemingly nowhere. It slightly startles everyone – even the composed Blaze – but Amy is the only one to actually jump in fright.

"What?" she asks after seeing Sonic's amused grin. "The dead can get startled too," she huffs with her nose pointed up in the air.

"All of you pay attention, for I will not be showing you the way to the training room again." Shadow turns and walks over to where the elevators are – that's right, there's more than one level to this already-ridiculous gym – and they all squeeze into one. Once the doors close, Shadow presses the level buttons multiple times.

"For this week, press 3221312. The code changes very week." A beep sounds and a portion of the elevator wall slides up, revealing a complete number pad. "Here is where you'll type in your own code, which you will receive here shortly." With that said, Shadow quickly punches in his own.

Fiona speaks up. "What are these codes fo-" The elevator doors slide open, distracting Fiona, and a completely different, more advanced room is revealed. The red-striped hedgehog steps out.

"This is where most of your training will occur. There is another level below this one which has more equipment. To reach it, take the stairs over there." He points to their left where, indeed, are a flight of stairs.

"Sonic," Amy grasps his arm in excitement. "Do you _see_ this place?!"

"It's impressive," Sonic agrees, the thrill of a real challenge starting to overrun his senses. Unlike his school's weight room, a majority of this stuff actually look like they can keep up with him!

"It sure is," Rouge agrees with what she thinks is a simple statement from Sonic, gaping at all the machines no one, other than Shadow, has seen before.

"Here." Shadow hands everyone a sheet of paper with a typed list. "On this paper is your own personal code to enter into any G.U.N. owned mechanism here, and there are also a list of all the apparatuses every one of you need to undertake. Each particular machine will challenge you in a specific field, and they will help deduce what you need improvement on by monitoring your performance."

"Do we have to do _all_ of them?" Sonic frowns at one particular machine, which is on the list: the _Soaring 800_. If they want to see his all, they better be okay with him trashing their fancy treadmill; after all, _no_ treadmill can keep up with him!

"Yes. The sooner you cross these off your list, the sooner your _real_ training begins."

"Well, just as long as you suckers don't charge me for the machines that can't handle my talents..." Scourge slowly heads towards a _Soaring 800_ , having the same thoughts as Sonic, and he looks at Shadow, waiting to hear an objection. The ebony hedgehog just simply stares him down.

With a shrug and a wicked grin, the green speedster dashes to one of the three treadmills and tries to figure out how to start it.

"Try entering your code," Rouge smirks as she mounts the bicycle machine, _Capacity 5X_ , located to his right, and she enters her own code, the mechanism humming to life.

"I didn't ask for your help!" the green hedgehog snaps.

"No, but you need all the help you can get though," Sonic snickers as he climbs on another _Soaring 800_ , and he ignores the dark look from Scourge.

"Sonic, what are you doing?" Amy asks, well aware of how Sonic, as well as Scourge, will destroy the piece of equipment should he try to exhibit his true potential.

"Ah, deciding to break it too?" Scourge asks as his treadmill powers on.

"I'm not gonna break it," Sonic states to both green and pink hedgehogs as he enters his code in. "I just wanna get this done and over with." Plus, he also wants the satisfaction of seeing the machine at its limit, about to blow a circuit when he isn't even at half his speed. He'll leave the breaking to his green rival.

"Goody two-shoes," Scourge scoffs, and he begins jogging, not _quite_ ready to annihilate the fancy contraption. Yet.

"Maybe I should trip him," Amy muses, envisioning the green hedgehog flying off the machine he claims he will obliterate. "How funny would that be?"

Sonic eyes his green neighbor, seeing him now pick up more and more speed. The blue speedster grins and murmurs, "Do it."

With a mischievous grin, the hammer-wielder summons her prized weapon – my, isn't she getting a good use out of it today – and she flips it so she's holding the head rather than the handle. The pink female watches Scourge's legs for a moment before she thrusts the hammer handle forward and swipes his legs from under him.

"AGH!" The green hedgehog collides with the running belt and it shoots him off, making him a tumbling mess of quills. Everyone bursts out into laughter – even Fiona has a hard time holding back a snicker.

"What the hell?!" Scourge snarls, enraged that such a ridiculous thing just happened to him.

"I guess it couldn't handle your _talents_ ," a straight-faced Espio states, resulting in even more laughter.

"This thing is going _down_ ," Scourge growls as he climbs back on the machine. Pressing ' _Start'_ again, Scourge takes off, determined to break down the treadmill as soon as possible. When the green speedster's legs begin to blur together just seconds later, however, the machine shows absolutely no signs of malfunctioning.

"What?" Scourge runs faster, surprised the mechanism can handle 80 miles per hour. Good thing he's much faster than that! Faster and faster he runs – everyone watching, unbeknownst to him – waiting for that groan of defeat from the machine.

It never comes, however, and when Scourge looks up to see how fast he's going, he sees on the screen, _'704.3 mph'._

"No way," he gapes, the treadmill still showing no sign of fatigue. Gritting his teeth, Scourge gives it his all, bound and determined to beat the blasted contraption. However, for the first time in a long, _long_ time, he starts to get winded, his breathing turning into pants. He looks up at the screen again and this time sees, _'708.7 mph'._

"Im-possible!" he gasps. Scourge pushes himself to go longer, despite the burning in his legs, but it isn't much longer before he's left with no choice but to slam the _'Stop'_ button.

 _'Final: 709.4 mph'_ flashes across the screen before the treadmill completely shuts off, looking the same it had when they all first entered the room.

"What- is this?" Scourge pants, furious the machine outlasted him. _Him!_

For the first time since anyone there has seen him, Shadow smirks. "You think you are the only one to have super speed? The 800 in its name actually means something."

Scourge growls and goes to turn the machine back on. "Why won't it work?!" he snarls, way beyond being angry.

"Your score was entered. There are no retries until you finish with the rest of your list," Shadow calmly explains.

While Scourge yells about how unfair that is and how he wasn't prepared, Sonic stares in awe at his own treadmill, still merely jogging.

"I can go as fast as I want?" he asks slowly to himself. He looks at Amy, who smiles widely at him.

"Show 'em what you've got, Sonic!"

With a grin, Sonic immediately lets loose. Seconds later, he is easily going over six hundred miles per hour, the piece of equipment easily keeping up.

"This is so cool," he says giddily, not caring who hears. He always knew he was incredibly fast, but now he can find out _exactly_ how fast he can go!

Amy smiles happily while watching her best friend freely run. She knows he has always wondered what he's truly capable of – she has too – and now that he has the chance to do nothing but run as fast as he can, well, she can't help but to be excited too!

"700 miles, Sonic!" Amy enthusiastically informs the cobalt blue male, who's too focused on feeling his legs pump faster than he's ever gone in his life than to watch the treadmill's screen. He's only just now feeling fatigue!

With a laugh, Sonic finally gives it his all, the feeling of running at these speeds giving him a sense of peace he's unfamiliar with.

' _I was born to do this.'_

Unfortunately, it isn't too long after when his body finally catches his attention with its aches, not being used to this level of exercise. Panting, Sonic presses the _'Stop'_ button, and he looks to see his result.

' _Final: 721.7 mph.'_

"I never knew you were _that_ fast," Amy says in awe, to which Sonic can only nod in agreement, still winded. He relishes the feeling, however. Finally, _finally_ , he doesn't have to hold back! He can go even faster! After all, if Shadow's correct, it can go up to 800 miles per hour...

 **oOo**

"Yeah!" a eleven-year-old Sonic whooped as he zoomed through Mystic Ruins, his turns sharp and precise. His parents didn't want him running all over Station Square anymore, so they gave him permission to do so in Mystic Ruins – which apparently was _so_ much safer than in the city, but hey, what could he say? He loved running. He loved the feel of the wind blowing through his quills and knowing he could go much, _much_ faster if he wanted.

The blue hedgehog glanced down at the girl in his arms to make sure she was still comfortable, and he was rewarded with an eager grin from the pink hedgehog. He didn't mind having to carry his friend around on his runs. After all, he finally had someone he could share this experience with!

"Alright, Ames, here we go!" In the little speedster's mind, this was the best part of his runs: seeing how fast he could go before he ran out of land.

Faster and faster his legs went, the colors of the jungle beginning to blur. He could go faster, he knew it! He was so close to beating his usual speed, just-

"SONIC!" Amy's shriek brought him back to his senses in time to realize a cliff's edge was seconds away.

"Whoa!" He skidded to a halt, his heels digging into the dirt, and they found themselves just a couple of mere feet away from the edge.

"Chaos," Amy breathed. Sonic was daring, but never _that_ daring! "Sonic, what were you thinking?! Do you know how close you were to becoming like me?!" she scolded, that being the last thing she'd ever wish on him – or anyone really.

"Sorry, I... I got caught up," he admitted shamefully, just realizing how much danger he put his life in.

"In what? _Running?_ " she asked as she arched a disbelieving eyebrow up.

"Well, more like on much _faster_ I can go. Ames, I know I can do so much better, but there's no room for me to test that out! Not here, anyway," he explained, his shoulders dropping in defeat. He valued his parents' trust, so he wouldn't dare go anywhere else without their permission – well, not anywhere _too_ far. Plus, where else could he go that has open spaces? The dessert? Ha!

"Hey, you'll get there some day." Amy laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, recognizing just how much this mattered to him. "Until then, maybe you can keep working on your turns? Then you won't need a clearing to speed up!" Amy pointed out, trying to lighten his mood.

"Good point. Thanks, Ames," Sonic smiled appreciatively at his friend, then looks over the cliff at the ocean below. Yes, he _will_ get there someday.

 **oOo**

"This is ridiculous!" Scourge's exclamation snaps Sonic out of his memory. "He was prepared; I wasn't! I demand a retry!"

"No," Shadow states firmly, reenforcing it with an unwavering glare. He then address the rest of the group.

"I have allowed you all to stand around long enough. Now that each of you know what you are up against, get back to the task at hand!"

With a few compliments and high-fives given to Sonic, everyone disperses to various areas of the training room, including a still-aggravated green hedgehog. Sonic takes one last look at the _Soaring 800_ before moving onto a different machine on the list.

"See? I told you that you'd get there some day," Amy smiles happily as she floats alongside him, happy he finally has his chance.

"Yeah, you did," he smiles back. He HAS gotten faster since that day six years ago, but something has yet to click into place. He's not sure what it is, but once he discovers it, he _knows_ his speed will be a force to be reckoned with! Well, more than it already is...

The cobalt blue hedgehog vaguely listens as Amy talks about what he should try out next, thinking about how lucky he is to have a friend like her. His other friends think he's naturally a positive person, which is true, to a certain extent. No, if anything, _she_ is the naturally positive one and the one truly responsible for his own outlook on things. That characteristic is probably what he likes best about her; no one, not even herself, can have a sour attitude for long in her presence, that he's absolutely sure of!

"Heeeellooo? Mobius to Sonic?" a gloved hand waves in front of his face.

"Huh?"

"You better hurry up and pick what's next on the list, or else Shadow will come over here," Amy jerks her thumb behind her, where Sonic catches sight of the ebony hedgehog indeed eyeing him irritably.

"Alright, alright. People nowadays are so pushy!" he teases. He's glad Amy talked him into doing this, though. He may not be G.U.N. material, but at least he can finally see what he's capable of!

He walks over to the bench press, eyeing the hundreds of pounds of weights at his disposal. _'Ya better watch out, Knuckles!'_

* * *

 ** _"The limits of the possible can only be defined by going beyond them into the impossible"_ ~Arthur C. Clarke**

 **In regards to Sonic's speed in this, bear with me. I've got a plan... ;)**

 **Eh, what do you guys think? This chapter maybe worth the wait?**


	8. Step 1: Distance

**I'M ALIIIIVE! College is a black hole. Time, motivation, ideas: all devoured…**

 **BaharehRose , SconnieSA, Night the wolf, SpeedsMyGame, Lestonage, sad Little demon, Eevee of Insanity, MidnightStarz15, The-Phoenix-Ninja101, thanks for the reviews!**

 **I own nothing but the plot. The cover belongs to my younger sister.**

* * *

 **Step 1: Distance**

"Seriously, Silver," Sonic says in exasperation as the two male hedgehogs walk into Ms. Longmire's classroom. Amy walks in behind them, no longer paying the pair any mind. That's one of the perks of being Sonic's best friend: you learn to ignore practically anything. "do you know all the things we could've done together? But _nooo_ , you had to let all these years be wasted!"

"Are you still pestering him, Blue?" Rouge asks from her seat, not looking up as she secretly texts under her desk. Knuckles's suspicious gaze flickers between the bat and her mobile device; when she texts during class, it's almost always to some guy she knows.

 _'Really,'_ Amy thinks to herself with a small smirk as the red echidna avoids meeting teal eyes. _'Sonic HAS to be blind to miss these signs!'_

"I'm just sayin', why not run with the best?" said hedgehog answers Rouge with a shrug, and he heads towards his seat.

"What on Mobius are you talking about?" Knuckles huffs, ready to shoot down the cobalt blue hedgehog's ego. However, the red echidna's question is forgotten once Sonic reaches his seat. With a grimace, Sonic looks to his right and sees Silver with the same expression.

"On three?" Silver offers, his ears flat against his head.

"Yeah. Sure," Sonic nods mechanically. "Ready? One... two... _three_!" The two males abruptly flop into their seats, their limbs screaming in protest from the movement, and they groan.

"Oh, quit it," Amy says with a roll of her eyes. "It's not that bad, _and_ I know you don't really mind it." Sonic only sheepishly grins back at his pink friend that knows him too well. He certainly is sore, but he could also easily do another hour of training. He hasn't been this sore in _years_ – even though this morning was technically the warm-up before the _real_ training – so he can only imagine the results will be at the end of all this training!

"What's up with you two?" Mighty asks the hedgehogs with an arched eyebrow.

"We're sore from t-"

"From Judo practice this morning," Rouge interrupts, shooting Silver an _'Are you an idiot?!'_ look. The telekinetic user pales, realizing his near-fatal mistake, and he rubs the spot on his neck where the dart struck him yesterday. Sonic suppresses a scowl, also remembering the threat of death looming over their heads. Oh, he definitely has a few things to say to the director – commander, leader, whatever – of G.U.N., that's for sure!

"Since when do you guys take Judo?" Mighty – and the rest of the group – eyes the three in surprise.

"Since today," Rouge shrugs nonchalantly, managing to shoot Silver a warning look. A faint red tints the telekinetic's muzzle, but he nods in agreement. He still can't believe how close he was to just blurting that secret out…

"Hey, you never answered my question, Hedgehog," Knuckles grumbles, undeterred. That cocky hedgehog thinks he can just throw him off like that? Ha!

"What question?"

"What you and Silver were talking about when you two walked in," Sally elaborates, curious herself.

"Oh yeah! Get this," Sonic leans forwards, and excited grin on his muzzle. "Silver is almost as fast as me!"

"What do you mean, _'almost'_?" Mighty asks, not sure if blue speedster's definition of the word is the same as the rest of theirs.

"As in if we were to race each other, I would still be in Silver's line of sight!" Sonic exclaims, enjoying the looks of absolute shock on everyone's faces. Their reaction is better than the shocked looks of his fellow trainees earlier this morning, when Silver scored 694.2 mph on the Soaring 800. Well, everyone but Blaze was surprised, but Sonic already knows why Silver would tell her about his ability.

However, the cobalt blue hedgehog is upset about all the wasted years he and Silver could have used. Imagine, pushing each other to their limits and sharing the experience!

 _'At least I had Ames,'_ Sonic reminds himself of her involvement and of all her encouragements during his runs. It still would have been nice to have Silver around, though.

"Wait, seriously?" Knuckles and the others all turn to stare at an uneasy silver hedgehog.

"Why haven't you told us about your speed, Silver?" Cosmo asks.

"It really isn't a big deal! As I've been _trying_ to tell Sonic," he says with a pointed glare, "I'm just fine with mastering my telekinesis. He can be the one with the speed."

"You could have _both_ though! I would love to have both of those abilities! At the very least, you could have a goal of being faster than Scourge. Do you know how much I'd rather have you as competition than him?" Sonic rants. Scourge or Silver? Easy: Silver, anytime and anywhere!

"What's done is done," Cosmo intervenes, sensing Silver's growing annoyance on the matter. "However, do not ignore the gifts you are born with, Silver. You may not be the fastest, but you can still go speeds most other mobians can only _dream_ of. Myself included."

"I… guess you have a point," the silver hedgehog hesitantly admits, beginning to realize how ungrateful his actions look. _'Maybe Blaze is right. Maybe I shouldn't let my telekinesis be my defining factor.'_

"Wait," Sally looks at the small group of friends, confusion clear on her face. "just how fast can you guys go?" After a startled look, Sonic's muzzle stretches into a wide grin, his emerald eyes flashing in excitement.

"I forgot, you have yet to experience the awesomeness!" Everyone either rolls their eyes or groans at his comment, including Amy.

Silver starts to answer, "Our speeds differ, but we can-"

"Ah tut-tut! Words are simply not enough! She needs to personally experience my awesome speed first-hand!" Sonic's arrogant demeanor suddenly drops, and he shoots the female chipmunk a hesitant look while scratching the back of his head. "Maybe I could show you after school?"

"That sounds good to me," the brown chipmunk smiles, refraining from smiling too big.

"Great!" the blue speedster grins, thrilled his sudden idea actually worked out. Amy pokes his shoulder, and he reins back in his enthusiasm. "I, uh, I mean I'll meet ya at the front of the school then." Sally nods, and Sonic shoots the pink hedgehog an appreciative look.

Amy smiles softly back, smothering the pang she feels from seeing how happy Sonic is now. _'I can do this,'_ she tells herself as she watches the group converse, a certain blue hedgehog and brown chipmunk casting glances at the other occasionally. _'I've been preparing for this for 4 years now. He deserves to live his life.'_

Empowered, Amy tears her gaze away from her best friend and makes herself watch everything else. _'Step 1: gradually distance myself from him, but don't draw his attention.'_ She casts a quick glance over at Sonic. _'Assuming he'll notice in the first place.'_ She shakes her head free of that dark thought, though, determined to be the understanding, positive friend Sonic wants. What she wants is unimportant and unrealistic; she's dead.

 **XXX**

"They're pretty and all, but just because it's my last name doesn't mean they're my favorite flower," Amy says absently to a sketching Shadow.

The female has decided that while Sonic practices his guitar and chats with Sally, Amy will visit the oblivious Shadow as a way to gradually distance herself. She misses being able to converse with others, but watching what appears on what was once a blank page is satisfying enough. Why is it always the darker ones that can draw like that?

The bell suddenly rings, and Amy pouts. "Aww! I was hoping you'd do the face today!" She takes one last peak at Shadow's sketch before he puts it away: a meadow with a tree, and the outline of a body leaning against the tree trunk. Is it someone he knows? Someone he cares about? From what the pink hedgehog can see, the body is female. Either way, once finished, it will be a very impressive drawing.

"See ya tomorrow, Shadow!" Amy waves goodbye – really not necessary, but it makes her feel more normal – and she dashes through the wall. Imagining all the gaping faces she would receive if they could see her do that ceases to make her giggle. She then catches up to Sonic as he ascends the stairs to Biology II.

"Hey, Sonic." He glances at her in response, then laughs at something Sally says.

When they enter the classroom, Amy, sticking to her promise, takes a seat at the front of the class this time, farther from where Sonic sits and closer to the board. At least Biology II actually fascinates the young female – learning about all the things the body is capable of and how it all ties together is truly impressive. Sonic would call her a nerd were it not for the fact that she is the one that is responsible for explaining it to him later.

Sonic eyes Amy curiously as he sits in his usual spot – she _always_ sits near him – but he lets it go and greets Tails as the young fox takes his seat. Unlike the blue male, she actually enjoys this class, so it really isn't surprising. Heck, if Tails could see Amy, he would go join her!

With a wistful smile to that though, Sonic leans back in his seat, and he tunes out Mr. Squirrel and the PowerPoints about the heart, letting his thoughts run free. What will Sally think about his speed? Will she be one of the few who see him as a freak? Is it going to be super awkward between the two of them?

On and on questions pop into his head, and with each one he grows a bit more nervous. What if she isn't impressed and decides he's too boring?

Amy immediately takes notice of the blue hedgehog's uneasiness once Bio II is over, and she tries her hardest to convince him that he has nothing to worry about. It helped the male to a certain extent, but once an hour away from the meeting with Sally turned into a mere ten minutes away, Sonic was enough of a nervous wreck for his friends in weights class to notice.

"Sonic, dude, you'll be okay," Mighty tries his hand at reassuring the hedgehog, not just because he's afraid the speedster will drop a weight on the armadillo's foot. Again.

"Well, assuming he doesn't drop her or anything," Knuckles 'innocently' muses out loud.

"That is the same chance as you poking some poor girl's eye out with those knuckles of yours, Knuckie," Rouge replies as she keeps a steady speed on the school's treadmill, which is nowhere near as high quality as the Soaring 800, of course.

"W-what?!" Knuckles sputters, outraged. "There's _no_ chance of that happening!"

"See?" The bat turns towards Sonic. "Knuckles just said there is no chance of you dropping Sally."

"No I didn't!"

"I told you the chance of him dropping her is the same as you poking out eyes, to which you just said there was no chance of," Rouge explains with a devious smirk, her teal eyes flashing with amusement as the duo launch into another infamous argument.

"Really, Sonikku, stop worrying," Amy gently says to Sonic, running out of ways to snap him back to his normal self. As egotistical as the male can be, his worrying is a lot more tiresome.

"I thought I told you not to call me that," Sonic meekly, but fondly, retorts. Amy grins, happy to see that he's not so far gone as to miss her 'dreadful' nickname for him. Personally, she thinks it's adorable, but then again, that just might be the problem for him. Oh well, that won't stop her!

"I will call you that nonstop for the rest of the day if you keep worrying about your date with Sally, _Sonikku_ ," she threatens. Sonic turns beat red, to her delight.

"It's not a date!"

"Ohhoho! Now you're turning a simple run into a date? You sly hog, you!" Silver grins, hearing Sonic's outburst. Sonic's pent-up nerves then release itself on the prepared telekinetic user, and their following argument almost rivals a certain bat and echidna's. Almost.

Before Sonic knows it, weights class is over, he's through with his shower, and he's making his way to the school's front entrance. With a baffled look at Silver, Sonic then realizes that Silver was trying to distract him this whole time.

"You've got this," Silver claps him on the back with a grin, and he dashes off, finally using his speed to escape Sonic's glare.

"Ames," Sonic turns towards his pink friend, a whining tone in his voice. "what-"

"Oh no you don't!" Amy interrupts. "You, mister, are done whining. Now get that blue butt through those doors and get this over with!" Sonic opens his mouth, but he abruptly shuts it when Amy's red and hammer makes an appearance. " _March._ "

With a heavy sigh, Sonic obeys the pink female, and he slowly makes his way to the front doors – he's experienced the consequences of ignoring that weapon far too many times now. He really shouldn't feel this nervous, it's embarrassing just how much this is affecting him, but he can't help it! He hardly has any experience with girls – Amy doesn't count – and what experience he does have, well, it didn't go too well.

"There you are! It's rude to keep a lady waiting, and it really isn't that warm out here you know," a bundled-up Sally teases once Sonic walks through the doors.

"Sorry, but I didn't think you'd want to deal with me being smelly," Sonic grins, relaxing upon seeing Sally's warm smile. Why was he nervous? He's Sonic the Hedgehog! Of course Sally won't see him as a freak… right?

"Well, without further ado," Sonic dashes over to the female and scoops her up in his arms. A startled gasp sounds from Sally, and Amy smacks Sonic's shoulder, hissing, _"Manners!"_ He then realizes he can't just treat Sally like he would Amy; he doesn't know her as well as his pink friend. "Sorry, I should've warned you," he says apologetically, and the speedster shifts his feat awkwardly when the chipmunk only stares at him in response. "You, uh, better hold on tight now. And let me know if it's too much for ya."

Sally loses her dazed look and starts to ask, "Wha-" Sonic suddenly zooms off, keeping in mind not to go too fast and not give Sally windburn. The chipmunk's arms immediately coil around Sonic's neck, her grip tight and strong, but it's doesn't bother him. She isn't nearly as strong as Amy, thank Chaos. Now _that_ is a tight grip!

As the hedgehog carefully zips through the snowy streets of Station Square, he spots an ice cream shop. Going with the flow, Sonic stops and gently sets the stiff chipmunk back on her feet, nervous for her reaction.

After regaining her balance, Sally caresses the side of her head and heavily exhales, _"Whoa."_

"Whoa as in 'awesome' or…?" Sonic tries to smile, but he's pretty sure it comes out as a grimace.

"Sonic," Sally breathes, finally turning her blue eyes on him. "that was _amazing!_ I never knew people could even go that fast! Although, don't you ever get nauseous?" She then makes a queasy face, but there is admiration in her eyes, not disgust. She approves of him.

 _'Good,'_ Amy thinks to herself, seeing the same response that Sonic is. The pink female is fully aware of how self-conscious Sonic gets when it comes to telling new people about himself. He'll never show it or admit to that, of course, but she knows.

Sonic sighs in relief, realizing just how tense he was, and he grins. "Me? Never. I can actually go a lot faster than that!"

"Oh, goodness," Sally shakes her head in awe. She then takes in her surroundings. "Ice cream?"

"Er, yeah! You want some?"

"In the middle of winter?"

With a flush, Sonic stutters, "I, uh-"

"Sure, why not?" Sally grins. "After 'experiencing your awesome speed first-hand', who says things have to make sense?"

The blue speedster laughs and holds the door open for her. Unsurprisingly, there is only one other customer in the shop. The employee, who is too happy to have customers than to question why they would want ice cream at this time of year, is quick to see to their orders. Sally gets vanilla and Sonic gets his favorite: chocolate brownie. Some complain it's too sweet, but for him, it's perfect; he'll never get tired of it!

As they sit at a small table – still wearing their coats – and make small-talk, Sonic soon realizes he is actually enjoying himself. He isn't socially handicapped or anything, but he doesn't automatically click with people the way he knows Amy would. The short lapses of silence doesn't seem to bother Sally, however. They are somewhat comfortable. Also, with what he's learned about Sally so far – such as her moving from Knothole – he discovers he wants to know more.

 _'Maybe the gang has a point,'_ the cobalt blue hedgehog muses mentally, listening to Sally talk about her older brother, Elias. _'Maybe it is time I start dating. Besides, what better way to get to know her than on a date?'_

The thought immediately makes his hands clammy. _'Now I just have to ask her...'_

They finish their cones not long after, and Sally lets Sonic run her home, who, again, refrains from going too fast; she still manages to get a little nauseous.

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to this," Sally groans after Sonic sets her down in front of her door, her stomach definitely uneasy after their frozen treat. The hedgehog's own stomach flutters upon hearing her words, how she expects to be traveling with him in the future.

"I'm sure ya will, unless you're naturally a pushover," Sonic smirks. The chipmunk smacks his arm.

"Sonic the Hedgehog, you take that back!"

"Fine. You won't get used to it." The two share a laugh, and an awkward, yet still comfortable, silence falls between them.

"Well, thank you, Sonic, for the amazing ride and for the ice cream. I had fun." The way Sally speaks and smiles at him, with such warmth, nearly makes his legs turn into jelly.

"Not a problem, Sal," he smiles back. The female starts to turn away, and Sonic, with a sudden burst of courage, blurts out, "Friday?"

"What?"

"Er, uh, you doing anything, uh, this Friday night?" Chaos, since when is his tongue able to turn into lead?

 _'Since now,'_ his subconscious answers him as gazes upon Sally's blinding smile.

"Why, no. I do not have anything planned for Friday night."

Sonic shakes himself out of his stupor and, mustering up what's left of his boldness, asks, "Would you like to go to dinner and a movie with me then?"

"Sounds like a date," The female answers, her smile once again bedazzling him. The blue hedgehog, still in a daze, watches as she enters her house and as she shoots him one last smile.

"Hey," Sonic jumps and whirls around to find Amy at his side. "stand here staring any longer and you might become an obsessed stalker."

Flushing, Sonic glares at his best friend but walks down the sidewalk, regardless.

"Ames," he cracks a grin, unable to feel anything negative. "I've got a _date_."

"Yes, Casanova, I heard," Amy smirks.

"A real date, though! With me! She actually likes me…" he trails off in wonder.

"Sonic." The pink hedgehog waits for his attention to be on her. "Of course she like you. Why _wouldn't_ she like you?"

"Well, I mean, I'm me. I don't exactly see a bunch of girls tagging after me, do you?"

"Yes, actually. I do." He looks over at her in shock. "Sonic, you forget, I pass the time by watching people. You have no idea just how many girls do double-takes when you walk by, and that's why they never approach you; you don't pay attention to any of them." Sonic gives a small huff and turns away. Amy lays her hand on his shoulder. "Trust me when I say you're a one-of-a-kind type of guy. There is _nothing_ people should dislike about you." Amy then grimaces and retracts her hand. _'Easy girl, you're trying to distance yourself from him, remember? Not spill your heart out to him!'_

Sonic doesn't notice her inner conflict, however, and he turns to smile at her. "Thanks, Ames. I sometimes really don't know what I'd do without ya," he admits while rubbing the back of his head.

Ignoring her fluttering heart and how adorable he looks right now, Amy softly smiles and replies, "It just means you like her. It gets easier the more time you spend with her, don't worry."

"Oh? Since when did you have a crush on someone?" Sonic asks with raised eyebrows.

If she could blush, Amy would be as red a Knuckles right now. She _really_ needs to watch what she's saying!

"For a while," Amy answers defiantly, not wanting to be found out but also knowing she can't lie too well; she needs to add just the right amount of truth. "he'll never know that, however, so I don't see the need to share who my 'crush' is."

"Chaos, you're serious," Sonic says with wide eyes, not expecting his pink friend to actually like a guy. He was just teasing. He then snaps out of it. "and you're not going to even tell me who it is?" Amy shakes her head. "Oh come on, Ames! BFFs here, remember?" he adopts a girly voice, trying to imitate the gossiping girls he sees at school.

"Sonic," the pink hedgehog cracks a smile at his feminine voice, but her smile quickly fades. "It's bad enough knowing I literally have zero chance with this guy and that he'll never know my feelings. Please, let it go." Sonic's own smile drops, and his ears flatten, just realizing the pain of having a crush brings Amy.

"Sorry, Ames. I forget that… well, I-"

"I know," Amy gives him a pained smile. "I forget too." They are fleeting, blissful moments, but she _does_ forget she's no longer alive. Those moments are usually ruined when she passes through something or when she sees her bullet wound, though.

Sonic gives the pink hedgehog an all-too-familiar exasperated smile – never directed at her, of course, but always at her situation – and he gallantly bows before her. "As an apology for my foolishness, allow me to escort my ladyship home."

"Then, my dear sir, I accept your apology," Amy giggles, appreciating how easily he can make her smile and laugh.

 _'Moments like this,'_ the young female thinks to herself as her secret crush scoops her up into his arms and as she discreetly snuggles into his chest. _'are all I need. Nothing more.'_

* * *

 _ **"The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend"**_ **~ Henry David Thoreau**

 **Sorry about the wait! I hope you all had a good Christmas, and I wish you all good things for the new year! Till next time (which I hope will be relatively soon…)**


	9. Seen

**Ella Belle The Writer , The-Phoenix-Ninja101, PureMLTrash, Bahareh-Rose, Eevee of Insanity, SpeedsMyGame, MiserableRose, sad Little demon, thanks for the reviews!**

 **I own nothing but the plot. The cover belongs to my younger sister.**

* * *

 **Seen**

"See, Ames? I told ya we'd make it! Look, even Rouge just showed up," Sonic smugly says to an unimpressed pink hedgehog, and he waves greetings to the approaching bat at the building's entrance, three minutes before 7 a.m.

"Remind me again who fell back asleep?" Amy huffs with an arched eyebrow and crossed arms. Somehow, Sonic had fallen back asleep in the bathroom earlier when he was supposed the be getting ready. _I_ _n the bathtub_. The restroom is the one place where Amy has made absolute sure to never intrude with him, even accidentally. It's a place of privacy she'll respect to the very end – for obvious reasons – even when all she wants to do is strangle the blue pincushion.

"It looked comfy," the cobalt blue hedgehog half-defends with a shrug. It was just one of those mornings where even the hardest of places looked welcoming.

 _'That, and you knew she wouldn't come in and wake you,'_ his conscious says in that annoyingly condescending tone it has, especially today.

 _'She wouldn't, no, but she had no troubles getting Mom up there, now did she?'_ he counters back. She won't tell him how – part of her punishment for him being irresponsible, she says – but Amy had managed to get his mom to his bathroom upstairs and helped her discover him asleep in the surprisingly-cozy bathtub. Getting a good scolding from his mom was just what he needed to get his day started. _Not_.

 _'Because you deserved it,'_ his conscious bites back, determined to have the last word. Yep, it was going to be one of _those_ days.

"Ready to get your butt kicked today, Blue?" Rouge asks Sonic as she finally lands from her flight, and they walk into _Top of Your Game_. While it's not the worst thing that Frank, Jet's father, could have named his gym, it certainly isn't the best.

"Please," Sonic replies, keeping a sharp eye out for the green hawk as they make their way to the elevators. You never know; sometimes all it takes for someone to show up is just to _think_ about them or they'll pop out when you least expect it. "if anyone's to do the butt-kicking, it's me!"

"We'll see about that," Rouge grins rather darkly, and she steps into the elevator.

"Shadow certainly won't let him get away with it," Amy mutters to herself as they follow the white bat, clearly not expecting Sonic to hear. In indignation, the blue hedgehog bites his tongue and settles for ignoring the pink female. Ha, like Shadow could force him to do anything.

 _'Well, there_ is _that dart in your neck,'_ that blasted voice sings.

He decides to ignore that as well.

The blue speedster and Rouge go down to the second floor of the secret training level once they get off the elevator, where the others are gathered. He quickly notices that Silver is missing from the group. Worry suddenly pricks his gut. What if he accidentally said something about training?

"As I mentioned yesterday morning," Shadow says after Sonic and Rouge join the group, snatching the blue male out of his thoughts. "today you will officially start training. To start off, each of you will-"

"I'm here! I'm here!" Silver's voice suddenly interrupts as he rushes down the steps and zips over to where the rest of them are gathered, panting. Sonic's shoulders sag in relief. "Sorry, I accidentally slept in and…" the telekinetic trails off, looking wide-eyed at the glaring ebony hedgehog.

"I will only say this once; if you do not bother to take the measures of being here on time every morning, then do not bother coming here, period. There is no room in G.U.N. for irresponsible, immature agents." Shadow then takes his gaze from the shamed hedgehog. Sonic claps Silver lightly on the shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. Seriously, must Shadow always be this intense?

The G.U.N. agent readdresses the group, "To start off, each of you will go on this platform," he gestures to the extremely large, white boxing-ring-like platform behind him, with it only two feet high and no bordered edge, instead. "and you will be on the defense as you face your opponent. This will show me what you are so far capable of." As he says this, Shadow locks eyes with Scourge, who only sneers back.

With a minor twitch to his lips, Amy notices, the red-eyed agent turns his gaze to the female next to the green hedgehog. "Fiona, you will start."

Holding her head up high, the red vixen hops up onto the raised floor and saunters to the center "Ready whenever you a-" her sassy remark is suddenly cut off as a loud bang sounds, and she gets thrown back. Clutching her shoulder, Fiona stands back up and turns to see a suddenly-visible silver robot with a gun in its hand, aimed straight at her.

Sonic whips his head over to the side to look at Shadow in complete disbelief, as do the others, but the dark hedgehog says before Sonic can voice his outrage, "Rubber bullets. Not nearly as damaging as real ones, but they are similar enough to train with."

Sure enough, when they look back, they find Fiona's shoulder clear of any blood. The way the female clutches her shoulder and how her face is contorted into a grimace of pain makes them wonder if _she_ knows it wasn't a real shot, though.

 _'I bet it left a nasty bruise, if it's even a_ little _similar,'_ Amy thinks to herself, and she absently touches her own bullet wound, recalling that brief moment of agony before the darkness swallowed her.

The robot shoots again, but this time the vixen makes sure to dive to the side, her head whirling around as she looks for any kind of weapon.

"How the hell is she supposed to fight that thing if she doesn't have a weapon?" Scourge angrily asks Shadow, Fiona staying in his peripheral vision. If that black hedgehog thinks he can make any of them look bad, Scourge will be damned if it's going to be _his_ girlfriend!

"The whole point of this isn't just so she can beat it," Rouge answers before Shadow can. "Don't you ever pay attention? She's supposed to be on the defense, showing what she knows."

Everyone's attention goes back to Fiona as she lets loose a battle cry and flings herself at the machine. She manages to knock the robot down and lands on its chest. Before she can try dislocating its head with a kick, a blast originates from within its chest and sends her flying across the square. She hits the platform hard, tangled in a roped net, just a couple of feet away from the edge. The robot advances, and it picks up the struggling vixen and starts to swing her around.

Before it can fling her over its shoulder and into the ground – no doubt breaking at least a few bones if it did so – Shadow commands, "Stop."

The robot abruptly freezes, and Fiona quickly reorients herself and escapes the net. Panting heavily, the female glares at the ebony hedgehog.

"What was _that_ about?!"

"I already told you," he replies, still in that infuriatingly monotone voice, meeting her glare without so much a flicker of emotion.

"It wasn't even a fight! I had no warning, no weapon, and it hardly gave me any chance to challenge it! This was _pointless_ an-

"I told you it would show me what you are capable of, and those 'mere' minutes told me enough. You rely on weapons when you battle, you search for your opponent's weaknesses rather than remember you own, you seem to go for the kill rather than give a crippling strike, and when backed into a corner, you panic. Now, if you are done throwing a temper tantrum, you can get off the platform and let someone else take their turn." Fiona's face turns red and her jaw clenches, but she keeps her mouth shut, unwilling to walk into another trap that will humiliate her, and jumps off the raised floor.

As the vixen returns to her boyfriend's side, who starts muttering who-knows-what to her, Rouge spreads her wings and launches herself into the air, landing on the center of the floor in a battle-stance.

"Ready."

The robot stirs to life with those words, showing that is its trigger word, and it immediately fires at Rouge. The bat is ready, however, and she rolls to the side. Springing back up to her feet, she darts behind the machine and kicks it. The robot stumbles forward, but it swings its arm around and hits Rouge right in the chest, sending her flying across the floor. She lands on her back, gasping for air, and the robot approaches.

 _'Maybe this wasn't such a good idea,'_ Amy thinks to herself as she watches the fight with worry. She didn't know the training was going to be this harsh! What if Sonic gets really hurt?

The robot reaches down to grab Rouge's neck, but the bat suddenly wraps her legs around its head, and she grabs ahold of its gun. The machine straightens, bringing the female up with it on its shoulders, and fights Rouge for the gun. She manages to wrestle the weapon from its metal grips, and she quickly positions herself so that her feet are planted on its shoulders and she faces its front. The white bat then launches herself away from it, the force of her jump sending the robot tumbling backwards. Rouge is by its side the second it hits the floor, and she locks her right foot into place on its neck – one little twist, and its head will be rolling across the floor – and aims the gun at its head, for the sake of 'if it were real.'

"Stop," Shadow says with a nod to Rouge. She nods back, tosses the gun to the side, and returns to her place with the others.

"You still confident, Blue?" she smirks at the staring Sonic.

Snapping back to his senses, he grins, "Of course! With my speed, I bet I wouldn't even get hit!"

"Sonic." The blue hedgehog whirls around to see Shadow looking at him. "How about you back up those words and go next."

Fighting back a scowl, Sonic makes his way to the floor. He's pretty sure that blasted hedgehog is out to get him. Good thing he and Scourge don't get along!

"Sonic?" The blue male stops in front of the raised floor and glances next to him, briefly meeting concerned jade eyes. "Please be careful. G.U.N. has fast enough treadmills, and I'm sure they have fast enough robots."

"Ames, come on. I'll be fine," The cobalt blue speedster winks at her, and he hops up onto the platform.

"So why do I feel otherwise?" Amy whispers softly to herself, filled with more uneasiness with each step her one and only friend takes to the center.

With a deep breath, Sonic takes his stance and says, "Ready."

The robot whirs back on, and it stands up from the ground. Tense, Sonic watches the robot, waiting for it to make a sudden strike like it did with Rouge and Fiona. Instead, it's orange electronic eyes fasten upon him, and it stares.

Unnerved, the blue hedgehog stays put. It could be a trap. Or it could've realized it's no match for his speed. It _would_ be nice if he was right and won the fight without any hits being exchanged…

Then, for the first time, he hears its voice say, "Confirmed." Not making any sense of what is going on, Sonic watches as the robot's arm transforms into another gun, but much bigger and more deadly-looking than the other one. It takes aim, and Sonic, realizing he's just been standing there and staring like a buffoon the whole time, wrenches himself to the side.

He notices a lot of things in that partial second. First, the gun shoots some sort of purple laser instead of rubber bullets. Second, that laser _hurts_. He can feel his fur burning. And third, the most important factor, he wasn't fast enough to dodge it.

Fighting back his groan with clenched teeth, Sonic removes his hand from his burn wound on his chest. Today is definitely not his day.

Amy, meanwhile, has a death grip on her hammer – which she couldn't help but summoning when Sonic was struck. _'He's hurt! He's hurt! I knew this wasn't a good idea! He's stuck fighting that thing and it's all my fault!'_

She watches miserably as Sonic darts to the side and gets struck by the purple laser again, this time on the back. She would help him if she could, but she simply isn't strong enough for it yet! Despite practicing lifting heavy objects every night when Sonic sleeps, Amy can only manage lifting Jules's desk two feet of the ground for a half a minute. What's she going to do against a _metal robot?_

The robot fires again, but time suddenly seems to slow down. The beam, Amy sees, is headed straight towards Sonic's head, and as Sonic, also slowly, turns his head to look at his attacker, she also realizes it will hit his face.

 _"No."_ Amy teleports instantly in front of Sonic and faces the laser beam, which is still creeping through the air, and she raises her hammer over her right shoulder.

Like there is an unvoiced agreement, time abruptly resumes normally, and the blast races forward. Amy is ready for it, though, and she swings her red and yellow weapon, deflecting the purple beam away from the others and, most importantly, away from her Sonic.

Said male's shock – if his still form and his hanging jaw is any indication – isn't shared with the robot, however. Its sights are set only on Sonic, and it fires again, this time aiming for his gut.

Not on her watch.

Amy once again deflects the beam, and this time she charges the machine, building up momentum and strength. Once in range, the pink hedgehog swings with all her might at its legs – her 14-year-old body isn't tall enough to reach its head – and knocks the robot on its back. She brings her hammer over her head and swings it down, completely crushing the machine's head.

With the threat now taken care of, Amy focuses on the gaping Sonic; he has only two wounds. "Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?" She hasn't tried teleporting with Sonic before, but if that's the only way, then-

"Sonic, I did not know you had telekinesis as well," Espio says with awe in his eyes.

Confusion first manifests in the pink female's mind before it all comes slamming back to her with enough force to make her stumble back.

She just defeated a government robot, and no one but Sonic knew and saw it.

Sonic stutters, "W-well, I, er, I-"

"I never sensed anything, though," Silver muses out loud, a distant look in overcoming his face.

"Pff, by that logic, then I should've sensed your speed," Sonic snorts, regaining his mental balance, and he makes his way off the platform and back to the group. How long has Amy had that strength? The last he knew, she could barely hold a textbook for a minute! Why didn't she tell him?

"You two seem to be more alike than anyone knows," Blaze observes with a faint smile.

"He's my lost bro, don't ya know?" the blue teenager plasters a grin on his muzzle and slings an arm around Silver's shoulders. Oh, he and Amy are gonna have a talk…

"Man, now I know how you felt when out found out about _my_ speed," Silver pouts, also shooting a betrayed glance at the hedgehog beside him.

"Tell him your telekinesis isn't nearly as powerful as his and that you're surprised you even managed to beat the r-robot," Amy meekly says, ashamed she put Sonic into this situation. She should've remembered that this was training and that no way was his life in any danger.

 _'But I couldn't help it,'_ she thinks morosely as she gazes at his singed fur. _'I just couldn't.'_

"Dude, my mind-powers are nowhere near as powerful as yours. I'm beyond surprised that I was able to beat the robot like that. On a good day, I can only manage to levitate a text book for a minute!" Sonic easily lies, used to covering for Amy's unseen actions, but he makes sure to give said female a pointed look. He can understand her crush being secret, sort of, but this- Well, as close as he and Amy are, there shouldn't _be_ any secrets.

Her ears flatten, and she bows her head as she bites her lip, knowing exactly what his thoughts are. She suppresses a shudder, though, as she imagines how he would react if he knew she can visit the graveyard alone or who her crush really is. She refuses to let him experience that pain of betrayal that he will undoubtedly feel.

"Either way, you still got hit," Rouge smirks, recalling Sonic's famous last words to her.

Before the cobalt blue hedgehog can retort, Shadow intervenes, "That is enough. The rest of you still have to face your opponent." He then snaps his fingers, and two more robots appear, one to take away the fallen machine and the other to takes its place.

"Sonic." Emerald eyes meet red ones. "Once today's session is through, you and I will have a discussion." Leaving it at that, Shadow then beckons Espio to take his turn to battle.

Amy grimaces, hoping Sonic isn't in trouble. She wishes she didn't care so much for her Sonic; not only would she have a clearer mind, they also wouldn't be in the middle of this mess. He's never had to cover for her on something _this_ big…

With a grim nod, Sonic turns his attention to the purple chameleon on the platform, as does everyone else. From the corner of his eye, however, he spots a pink, sulking figure.

"We'll figure something out," he murmurs, not annoyed enough to let his friend belittle herself. She cracks a smile, appreciation and some other warm emotion filling her jade eyes. He smiles softly back. He never could stay mad at her for long… He's still going to have a word with her though; that much he needs to do.

No one else was able to destroy the robot like Amy did, but Scourge was able to pin it down. Luckily, Shadow was quick to silence the green speedster's bragging, saving the rest of them from his bragging. Sonic doesn't doubt they'll hear about it eventually, though. With ten minutes to spare once everyone is through with the robot, Shadow lets them leave. Well, everyone but Sonic, that is. He and Shadow stand there and wait for the others to file out, while Amy nervously twiddles her fingers.

"So," the blue teenager says a minute after everyone leaves. "what's up?"

Shadow just stands there, staring at him, before he eventually nods once and says, "Follow me." Regardless of being beyond confused, Sonic does, all the while trying to think up a reason for Shadow wanting to speak with him. Maybe it's about his 'telekinesis.'

The ebony hedgehog leads Sonic upstairs. "Tell me, how often do you use your telekinesis?"

Yep, it's about that. "Not very often. I hardly ever need it."

"I see. Now, do you believe yourself to be unique? To be the only one with your abilities?"

Sonic hesitates. "Well, maybe not the _only_ one, but-" A gust of wind interrupts him, and suddenly Shadow is across the room, rummaging through his backpack. He dashes back to where Sonic stands, holding a sheet of paper.

"You are not as unique as you think. I can go up to 745 miles per hour, and," Shadow then turns the paper around for viewing. Amy gasps in recognition as she beholds the finished sketching of the tree and the mysterious figure she saw him draw in art class a couple days ago. "I can see and hear you just as clear as he can, Rose."

The leaning figure is her, bullet wound and all.

* * *

 ** _"Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution"_ ~ Kahlil Gibran**

 **Hehe, I couldn't help myself! A cliffhanger every now and then is good for the soul ;)**

 **Till next time!**


	10. Shared, Told, Kept

**I'M SO SORRY ABOUT THE LONG WAIT! Dealing with the stress of finals, my new obsession with _Yuri! On Ice_ , and my muse going AWOL… _*grimace*_**

 **Bahareh-Rose , The Phoenix Ninja101, MiserableRose, Eevee of Insanity, IT'S NO USE I'M OUTTA USE (A.K.A. Firewitch25), Skyelara, SconnieSA, 5Elementz, SpeedsMyGame, thank you for the reviews! They really do make my day and are the driving force for this story! :)**

 **I own nothing but the plot. The cover belongs to my younger sister.**

* * *

 **Shared, Told, Kept**

Numerous thoughts fight to take center stage of Sonic's mind, leaving the blue male to stand there blankly, waiting for a thought to win and to focus on. Eventually, one thought sneaks past the large brawl, and Sonic focuses on it without hesitation.

"' _Rose'?_ Why'd you call her that?"

 _'Although, now that I think about it, that probably wasn't the best one to go with,'_ he thinks with a mental grimace.

Shadow arches a brow. "It is the only name she has ever mentioned."

"My name's Amy. Amy Rose," the pink female manages to whisper, her wide, jade eyes locked on the ebony hedgehog as one thought repeats over and over in her head: _'He can see me!'_

"If it is all the same to you, I would prefer to call you Rose," Shadow nods to her in acknowledgement.

"Chaos," she chokes back a sob, her soul aching with the bombardment of emotion. "You can really see me!" She has always treasured Sonic's company, but until this moment, she's never truly realized just how _lonely_ she has felt!

Shadow's lips tug up into a small, soft smile. "Yes, I can." He goes to lay a hand on her shoulder, but he passes through her. Amy finds herself feeling slightly disappointed about that, but she's too overjoyed to really fret about it. 'He can see me!'

"You can't touch her though," Sonic observes, and he lays his own hand on Amy's shoulder. Not to brag or anything to the other male, of course. He's just proving that he can.

"Interesting," the dark hedgehog murmurs to himself.

"Do you know how, uh, you can see me?" Amy asks, still afraid this whole thing is nothing but a dream or some illusion. Granted, she's unable to sleep and dream, being dead and all, but she's more than proven she's far from normal.

"Not necessarily _how_ , but I have been able to see the dead for as long as I can remember." Shadow's crimson eyes glaze over, his mind obviously returning to his past, before he snaps back to focus on the pink hedgehog, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. "Other than you, I have also been able to touch the dead."

"Really?" Amy then latches onto Shadow's arm, both because she wants to see if she can and because she just wants to. "Are there a lot like me? Do you know why I'm here? How come you can't touch me but I can touch you? Is-"

"Ames," Sonic gently interrupts, saving the other male from her death grip. "how about asking one question at a time?" He eyes her carefully, noting the excited gleam in her eyes and how with every move she makes, it seems to be bursting with energy. The blue hedgehog hasn't seen her like this in _years_. It takes Sonic a few seconds to place what exactly that emotion is, but when he does figure it out, it's like a slap to the face.

Hope.

Not hope in general, though. No, what he's currently seeing is hope for herself, for her own happiness, being revived. Since when did she let that go? Why in Chaos wasn't he there to notice?

"Oh, sorry." The pink female releases the black-furred arm and smiles bashfully. She can't help it, though! After seven years of being in the dark, she just may finally get some answers!

"Unfortunately, Rose, I have not encountered souls like you before. As for why you are still here, that is a question only you can find an answer to." Amy's ears lower, disappointed Shadow cannot answer her questions either, but then she looks up at him nervously.

"Ca- can you help me, then? Help me figure out why I'm here?"

Sonic grimaces and says to the girl, "Amy, I don't-"

"Yes," Shadow interrupts the blue male, his crimson orbs locked with her jade. "I have helped other souls. I shall help you too."

"Now wait just a minute!" Sonic huffs, making Amy look at him in confusion. "Amy, how do know you can even trust him? For all we know, he might know some ritual that can actually kill you!"

"Sonic," the pink hedgehog says slowly, not understanding how her blue friend is willing to throw this opportunity away. "what would he gain by doing that? No one else can see me. No one else even knows I _exist_!"

"Maybe he's after your lifeforce or something," the speedster argues, eyeing the motionless ebony hedgehog distrustfully.

"Why are you so against this?" she asks him incredulously, her happiness now turning into a heavy weight. "Do you not want me to- to figure out what's wrong with me? Do you not want to spend time researching this? If that's the case, Shadow and I can do it by ourselves and leave you o-"

"Amy, Amy, please don't cry." Sonic drags her into his arms, hugging her tightly. Huh, she didn't even realize she was crying! "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset. I'm just… I'm worried. What if you lose your hope again? I haven't seen you this excited in years, and I don't know what will happen to you if we find another dead-end," he explains, pulling back so she can see his earnest face. She gives him a watery smile, but on the inside, she cries even more.

He knows. She wasn't careful enough. She's always looked to the bright side of things because, well, what else is she to do? The worst has already happened to her, so why stay gloomy? All it does is bring pain. However, the one thing that she – a positive spirit – should have but doesn't, is hope for herself. She's long accepted her fate; she's dead, and there's nothing more to it. Her main worry, her main reason for each and every smile on her face, is the happiness of Sonic. She can't be saved, but by Chaos, she will do everything she can to make sure he doesn't even need to be saved! For him, she has hope. Now, though, he knows she holds no hope for herself. Now, he'll worry about her. Now, she'll become a burden.

Well, all the more reason to figure this all out and move on from this world. From her darling friend, who deserves so much more.

"Sonic, we can't let this opportunity slip by. It's time we finally get to the bottom of this mess," she says softly, staring pleadingly up at him. Sonic stares back, guilt overtaking him. He should've been helping her search for answers from the start. She shouldn't have had to look for help elsewhere. He was _supposed_ to be there for her!

"If you are through with being ridiculous, we have a few minutes left to discuss what we are to do with your training and get to class," Shadow finally speaks up, reminding both hedgehogs they are not alone. With a blush, Sonic quickly releases Amy from his arms. Damn, he did not mean to have Shadow witness all of that!

He clears his throat. "W-What about my training?"

Shadow arches his eyebrow. "Since you have already forgotten, we now have to accommodate for your _'telekinesis.'_ " He then turns to look at Amy.

"We can discuss later today training exercises that will both help Sonic fake his mental powers and help you improve your own abilities."

"Now why you gotta word it like that? _'Fake.'_ That's such an ugly word," Sonic grumbles, not comfortable with the thought of claiming Amy's abilities as his own.

"Perhaps I should refer to you as a faker instead?"

"No! Just…" Sonic trails off, not even sure how to properly express his dislike of that word used to describe anything he does. "Just don't use 'fake' to describe me!" Nope. He failed to express it.

Shadow smirks, like he can sense Sonic's internal struggle. "Very well… _Faker_."

While the two bicker, Amy has to slowly process Shadow's words to her. Training? She's going to train too?

"Why am I training too?" she asks, interrupting Sonic's heated rant.

Shadow returns his attention to her. "What if you are here for something that is going to happen? Something that you have your specific abilities for? It is a good idea to enhance what you can do, in case this is true."

"Oh," she blinks. Not once in the past seven years has that thought crossed her mind. _'See? He's already proving to be good help!'_

"Now, it is time to head to class. We can discuss details later." With that, Shadow leads them over to the elevator. "Do you have time after school, Faker?"

"Don't call me that!" Sonic snaps, then he thinks about his plans for today. It feels like there's something big happening today… "Yes, I don't have anything pla-" he abruptly stops speaking and tenses, a look of shock dominating his face.

Amy worriedly asks, "Sonic? What's-"

"Sally!" the blue teen suddenly blurts out. "I have my date with Sally today!" How the hell could he forget that?! It was the very first thought he had this morning!

"Oh, yeah," Amy softly says as they exit the elevator. She's happy for her friend, she really is. It just… stings. It's nothing she can't handle, though. Sonic comes first. Always.

Shadow takes a quick glance at the pink hedgehog. "Then Rose and I will just meet without you," the black and red hedgehog shrugs before opening the gym's main doors and steps outside.

Amy shakes her head. "I can't. It's one of the 'rules.' I can't be further than 100 feet away from Sonic." She completely disregards her ability to visit the graveyard. If she won't let Sonic know, then she certainly won't let Shadow know about it.

"What happens if you are?"

"How about we show you?" Sonic asks with a small smirk. "Follow and watch me closely." The blue speedster then dashes off, Shadow quick to follow, and leaves Amy behind before she can voice her opinion.

" _Of course_ he wants to show him," Amy huffs while rolling her eyes. She no longer flinches when she's tugged forward into the dark void, but she does still get dazzled by the white flashes as she zips by. She hasn't been able to figure out what they are.

"You know," she says accusingly as she exits the void and returns to Sonic's side. "if I didn't know any better, I'd say you enjoy ditching me like that."

"But you do know better, right, Ames?" Sonic winks and grins, navigating through the city with practiced ease. With another eyeroll and a small smile, she turns to look at Shadow, who is easily keeping pace with the blue speedster and is already staring at her.

"Interesting," he murmurs, the gears in his head clearly turning.

"I, er, um, this happens every time we are separated more than 100 feet," the pink female explains unnecessarily, slightly uneasy with being the subject of Shadow's intense observation.

 _'Better than him not seeing me at all, though,'_ she reminds herself, which then makes her beam back at him, still so happy to have another friend. His eyes widen, caught off-guard by her sudden, bright smile. She lightly giggles. Oh yes, he is definitely a friend, even if he doesn't know it yet.

"Well," Sonic says once they reach the school's front doors. "it's been a blast talkin' to ya, Shads, but it's time Amy and I skedaddled!"

The ebony hedgehog gives the blue speedster a dark look. "Refrain from using that name."

"Oh? Does someone have a nickname they don't like too?" Sonic teases mockingly.

"Ooooookaaaay! Sonic, get your blue butt moving before Mr. Williams gives you another tardy!" The pink female pushes her blue friend away, not liking the dangerous glint that is forming in both males' eyes. Honestly! Just over some silly nicknames?!

"See you sixth period, Rose," Shadow says, throwing Sonic one last glare, before dashing off to his class.

"Sixth period? When do we see him in sixth?" the blue male asks her, wondering if he really hasn't noticed Shadow in his Music Appreciation class this whole week.

"We, er, well, you don't see him during sixth. I do." Amy nervously twiddles her gloved fingers. Why is she nervous? It's just Sonic! "He has Art during sixth."

"Oh? When were you going to tell me this?" Chaos, he's learning a lot about the pink female today, and he's not liking it.

His accusing tone immediately rubs Amy the wrong way. She straightens up, and she catches his emerald orbs with her jade ones. "Why should I _have_ to tell you that? I was never sneaky about it. It's not my fault you haven't once noticed that I haven't been in the music room this whole week!" She struggles to hold her emotions in check. It hurts that she speaks nothing but the truth; he hasn't noticed. Here she is, trying to give him more space, and he's not even acknowledging it!

 _'Wait, isn't that the whole point? To make sure he_ doesn't _realize what I'm doing?'_ Amy sighs heavily and rubs her temple. She may not necessarily feel the physical pain of a headache, but she can still suffer from conflicting thoughts and emotions. _'Get a hold of yourself. You're better than this. You_ need _to be better than this!'_

"I'm sorry," she then hears her dear friend say softly, snapping her out of her mental struggle. "You're right. It's not my place to demand that of you, and I should have noticed." Wait, _he's_ sorry?

 _'You're doing a great job being there for her, idiot,'_ Sonic chastises himself as Amy looks at him in surprise. He feels almost like he did when she first confronted him about ignoring her, but worse. This time, she hasn't directly confronted him. This time, she's surprised when he admits to being wrong and apologizes for neglecting her. How long has this been the new normal? How long has been failing her?

He suddenly feels a hand on his arm. "Hey, Sonic, it's okay." He turns to see her concerned face, and he realizes his whole body is tense. He forces himself to relax.

"Ames, I-" He also realizes they've finally reached his PreCalculus class – huh, what do ya know, he actually walked the whole way here! "Ames, we need to talk, but we'll do it during second. Okay?" he smiles sadly at her before heading into the classroom

"Oh, o-okay," she stutters, following him. No, no, no! What has she done? She's gone and done the exact opposite of what she was trying to achieve! She's not sure what Sonic will ask her nor is she sure if she can keep that smile on her face for him.

PreCalculus goes by agonizingly slow for both hedgehogs, neither registering a word that is being lectured by Mr. Williams. Not even Sally is able to gain Sonic's full attention. What on Mobius is he going to say to Amy? At first, he was going to demand some answers, but now? After admitting he had no right to do so? What can he say that will make up for his failure?

Finally, second period comes. Telling his friends the excuse of having to talk to the principal, Sonic heads to the library, where he secludes himself in a corner. Amy slowly seats herself across from him, waiting for what he has to say.

After a few minutes of tense silence, Sonic just exhales heavily and throws caution to the wind. "Ames, I'm sorry. I just- I've been learning new things about you lately, and I don't like it. We're best friends, and best friends are supposed to know everything about each other, right? So what does that say about me when I don't even know about your strength or when I haven't been helping you find your answers? I feel like there's a gap between us now." He then rubs a hand tiredly over his face. Chaos, what a day. "You've been there for me, through thick and thin, but I can't seem to return the favor. You deserve so much better, you deserve-"

With a tearful smile, Amy grabs Sonic's hand and cuts him off, "Sonikku, please. You are more than enough. I don't need a research assistant, I don't need a gossip buddy, I don't need a confidant, and I don't need someone to worry about me. All I need is for you to be yourself. Just you, Sonic the Hedgehog." She smiles wider once she sees his shoulders droop in relief, unable to stop a few tears from escaping her eyes. She feels horrible that she's the reason for all of his self-doubts, but a down Sonic is something she can handle. An angry Sonic, on the other hand, is when she's at his complete mercy. She's only experienced a part of his anger once, and it was enough to know that only his full wrath has the ability to crush her spirit; figuratively, she's pretty sure.

"So, you'll include me in this mysterious quest of yours, and I'll respect your judgement more?" Sonic smiles wearily, also with relief, while feeling foolish. It's him and Amy; he's not a total failure. They're free to make mistakes. Now that he's aware, he can focus more on being there for her like she has been for him. Like they always will be.

"Yes," Amy nods, trying hard to make her smile as realistic as possible. Regardless of how sincere Sonic is, she knows he won't take her ability to visit her grave alone well. Not with how much time has passed since she's found out. She'll let him take part in figuring out her situation – it's going to put a wrench in her plans to slowly separate herself from her beloved Sonic, but it needs to be done – but she'll deal with the major discoveries on her own. Well, maybe she'll use Shadow's help. He looks like he'll understand her desire to free Sonic.

"Good. Oh, and Amy?" She looks at him. "What did you mean earlier, when you talked about figuring out what's wrong with you?"

The pink female cringes, seeing two routes that she can take, each not very appealing. She can either admit that wasn't what she was going to originally say – it being the reason she stuttered – and tell him she was going to say to figure out how to let her leave this world, or she can let him assume the obvious and take his scolding about her worth.

"Ames," Sonic gently admonishes when she remains silent, having made her choice. "there is nothing _wrong_ with you. There has to be an explanation for all of this. You didn't choose to be like this, so it's not your fault."

"I know," she says the expected reply, but she gives him a genuine smile, grateful for his concern for her. Of all the things she has to live – er, exist – with, she's thankful for having Sonic. Without him, she would still be at that campsite, reliving her and her parent's death over and over again.

She watches Sonic as they make idle talk, relaxing after their stressful morning, and she feels the world is a better place when he smiles. She vows to herself then, as he talks about some of the plans he has for his date tonight, that she'll no longer wait for her answers to find her; now, with the help of Shadow, she's going to track them down and clear up this mess. She's going to free Sonic from the burden that's called Amy Rose.

* * *

 ** _"The art of conversation is the art of hearing as well as of being heard"_ ~ William Hazlitt**

 **This chapter was a struggle… T_T**

 **You guys _will_ hear from me soon, though! _*chains muse to a wall in the basement*_**


	11. Step 2: Independence

**So… tired… but for you dears, I persevered! Thank you all for your patience! Here's a chapter that's a bit longer than usual ^_^**

 **Also, happy early Labor Day! The time when this version of our precious Amy was killed...**

 **Eevee of Insanity , Chaotic Reflections, Firewitch25, MiserableRose, The Phoenix Ninja101, SpeedsMyGame, Guest, thanks for the reviews!**

 **I own nothing; the cover belongs to my younger sister.**

* * *

 **Step 2: Independence**

This time, Sonic notices when Amy leaves the Music room. She awkwardly waves goodbye, not willing to break the tradition of visiting Shadow. Besides, Sonic hasn't been paying a certain chipmunk too much attention this morning. Not a good thing, not when they have their date tonight.

The pink hedgehog walks into the Art room, and for the first time, Shadow meets her gaze and nods to her in acknowledgement. She beams, unable to keep her giddiness under control. She's not sure if she'll ever get used to being seen by someone other than Sonic!

"Hey, Shadow!" Amy chirps as she takes her usual seat beside him.

"Rose," he states, letting his eyes fall back down to his work.

"This is looking really good," she compliments his art. The class is working with chalk right now, and, unsurprisingly, the dark hedgehog chose to do a stretch of road cutting through a forest on a foggy day. Regardless of how eerie it is, it really is impressive.

He only hums in response. Then he lifts his crimson eyes up to her. "Rather than talking about your usual nonsense, tell me everything you know, starting with how you died." Shadow's bluntness and lack of pity actually soothes Amy. He's going to handle this to the best of abilities and not because he feels pressured to. _He's really going to help her!_

With a relieved grin, she obeys his request. When the bell signals the end of class, she's managed to tell him from when she died to when she and Sonic discovered how she could receive gifts. The ebony hedgehog has only interrupted her to ask about smaller details, such as if Sonic's parents could touch her parents – which they could.

"When and where is Faker's date tonight?"

"You know he doesn't like that name, and he's going to pick up Sally at 6:30 and take her to dinner at _Opal's_. Why?" the young female asks.

"I need to be caught up on everything that has happened to you before we can begin searching for your answers. Also, I do not think you want to be, as they call it, _'the third wheel.'_ " Shadow arches a brow at her, wondering if she'll refute him.

"But then you'll be the third wheel if you tag along," she points out, wondering why on Mobius he thinks Sonic would be okay with that.

"Rose, have you forgotten that I am a G.U.N. agent?"

"What does that- Oh. Right." Her ears lower in embarrassment, and he smirks in amusement at her. By this time, they reach the stairs where he will continue to go to his next class and where she will go up to meet Sonic in Biology II.

"Keep an eye out for me at _Opal's_ tonight," is all Shadow says as he continues walking, leaving Amy behind to watch after him nervously. She sincerely hopes Sonic won't throw a fit over this. The blue speedster doesn't hate the darker hedgehog, but Amy knows that he is definitely not fond of him and that having Shadow around during his date would be all, if not more than, Sonic can tolerate.

 **XXX**

"Are ya _sure_ , Ames?" a nervous Sonic asks the pink female as he looks at himself in the bathroom mirror.

"For the last time, Sonic, you look great!" an exasperated Amy huffs from the bathroom doorway. She could've dressed him far fancier than she has: a black button-up dress shirt (she would've done white if he wasn't such a messy eater) that's tucked in and its sleeves rolled up to his elbows, dark blue jeans, and his usual shoes. Casual, but with a formal flare. Perfect for _Opal's_.

"But, you're like 14 years old. What if the things you think look good doesn't for guys like me?" he mutters as he fiddles with the top buttons. Two undone or three?

The blue male misses the deadly glare Amy shoots him. Did he _really_ just say that? The guy who asked for _her_ fashion advice _in the first place?!_

 _'That's it!'_ The female goes behind the walls and walks over the where the mirror should be on the other side. She takes a deep breath, then lunges.

"SONIC!" she roars, her hands wrapping around his neck as she tackles him to the ground.

He shrieks from the sudden attack. Amy's growl turns into laughter from the unmanly sound that escaped his lips.

"A-Amy! What the hell?!" he groans, the wind knocked out of him and his heart beating a thousand times a second.

"Hahahahaha! Oh my Chaos, Sonic! You should have seen your face! You even shrieked!" she cackles, lightly hitting his chest from the hilarity of it all.

"I didn't shriek!" he snaps. "And you try having someone tackle you _through_ a mirror not _two feet_ away from you!"

"Oh, I'd shriek like the lady that I am, then hit them with my hammer," she smiles cheekily, thoroughly enjoying the embarrassed flush on his muzzle.

"Whatever. Now get off me!" he grumbles and tries to wiggle from under her. She lowers her head so they are eye-to-eye.

"What? You mean you can't overpower some little 14-year-old girl?" she taunts, a dark gleam to her jade eyes.

 _'Wait, are there dark green flecks in her eyes?'_ The thought flits across his mind before he realizes his folly. "Alright, fine. You're right. I'll stop being a pest. Now, would you _please_ get off of me?"

"Gladly!" she grins and hops off him.

"Jeez, Ames," he groans as he rubs the back of his head. "What if my head hit the tub?"

"Please," she rolls her eyes. "unlike you, I think before I act." Her thoughts then flash to this morning's training. She grimaces, "Well, I usually do."

"Right," Sonic half smirks. "Speaking of which, has Shadow told you how training's going to work now?"

She shakes her head, "Not yet. He's actually, uh…" she twiddles her fingers. Tell him and deal with the consequences now, or have him find out later and have him jump to conclusions? "Shadow is actually going to meet with me at the restaurant tonight, but we won't be near you and Sally!" She throws up her hands in a placating gesture, immediately noticing the dark flash in Sonic's emerald eyes.

"He'll still be there," he grumbles, not wanting that dark hedgehog to ruin his night.

Amy's shoulders slump. "What would you have me do, Sonic? Training's tomorrow, he needs to know what's happened before he can help me, and one class period is not enough to discuss all of that."

Sonic grimaces at her dejected look. _'Hey, you're supposed to be her supportive best friend, remember? Your feelings are not the only thing that matters here!'_

" _Us._ "

"What?"

" _Us_. He's going to help _us_ ," the blue speedster gives her a weary smile and takes her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Just make sure to tell me what you guys discuss later."

Amy tears up from the bombardment of emotions, and she gives him a big smile.

"Thank you," she says softly. His spirits lift upon seeing her genuine happiness. Happiness _he_ is responsible for.

He glances over at the clock. "We better get going." The nerves Amy's stunt scared away suddenly come back full force, wreaking havoc in his mind. What if Sally doesn't like _Opal's_? What if she decides she doesn't really enjoy his company? What if-

"Sonic." Amy tugs her hand out of his now-tight grip and she then gently cups the side of his face. Sonic raises his eyes and is met by the comforting face of his best friend. "Just be yourself."

"Right. Thanks." He takes a deep breath to steady himself, and he grabs his coat. He can do this!

A set of keys is thrusted in front of his face before he sets foot out of his room.

"Wha-"

"I think Sally would appreciate not having the winter cold stinging her face and not having her hair messed up from the wind." Amy interrupts with an arched brow.

"Oh, yeah. Good call!" he grins sheepishly. Thank Chaos for Amy; that _never_ would've crossed his mind!

"You're hopeless," she shakes her head with an amused grin as she follows him out the room, and he just ignores her comment.

"I'm taking your car, Dad!" the blue teen yells to his parent as he descends the stairs.

"Go sweep that lady off her feet!" Jules calls back from the living room couch.

"Daaaad!" Sonic groans and opens the front door.

"Oh, wait!" He hears his mother exclaim, her footsteps quick as she rushes off. "Let me just-"

"I'llbehomebefore9,loveyouguys!" Sonic interrupts in a rush and dashes outside, knowing exactly what his mom was getting. No, thank you!

"Awe, he didn't let me take a picture!" Aleena pouts after she hears the front door shut.

"Relax. It's not like it'll be his only date," Jules tells his wife as he surfs through the TV channels.

"But this is his _first one_!" she laments as she plops back down on the couch beside her husband.

"What about that one girl? The yellow mongoose?"

"They were thirteen, Jules! That's _way_ too young for dating," she huffs. "Besides, Mina never came over again, so it doesn't even count."

"Alright," Jules concedes, knowing their son will forever be her little boy. "How about the next time they go on a date, you have him bring her over and then you can take pictures of them both."

"Perfect!" The purple female immediately brightens up. "Then we can also meet Sally! Such a smart man," she coos before she gives him a kiss.

"I try," he grins down at her.

"Maybe I can get him to bring her over here just to 'hang out.'" Aleena muses aloud. "There'd be so many opportunities for pictures then!"

"I don't think-"

"Oh! And prom! When's prom? I have to contact Sally's mom and see if she'll be taking pictures too!"

 _'Sorry, son, I tried.'_ The dark blue hedgehog sweat-drops as he watches his excited wife plot.

 **XXX**

"Right… So, here I go," Sonic murmurs to himself, gripping the bouquet of daisies tightly as he ascends the stairs to Sally's front door.

"Go Sonic!" Amy cheers from by the car, a wide grin adorning her face. He only casts an annoyed glance at her before he takes a deep breath and knocks.

"Coming!" he hears her shout from within the house. "Hi!" she beams, and he would greet her back, if his mouth was doing anything other than hang open. The chipmunk was dressed in a pale-yellow lace dress with heeled sandals with straps around her ankles. _'Those legs…'_

"Sonic?"

"Sorry!" he yelps, blushing a dark shade of red. He distantly hears Amy cackling in the background. Traitor. "Y-You look really nice, Sal! Here! These are for you," he bashfully offers her the flowers, thoroughly embarrassed. A stuttering, awkward perv he is. A _great_ way to start things…

"Oh! Thank you! I'm just going to put these in some water real quick, then we can go. I'd have you meet the folks, but then they'll turn this into an even bigger deal," Sally explains with a roll of her eyes. He grins.

"That's okay, mine would've too."

"Parents," she chuckles. She then goes back inside and takes care of the flowers.

While she's inside, Amy shouts to Sonic, "Remember, keep your eyes on her face!"

"Amyyyyy!" he groans, blushing again. She won't let that one go anytime soon, he has a feeling.

"Okay! I'm ready to go!" the chipmunk beams as she steps outside and closes the door. "Nice car," Sally compliments once she spots the vehicle.

"Thanks, it's my dad's. Ya know, since I don't really need one," the blue speedster shrugs, slightly bragging. Amy snorts.

"Obviously," she smiles wryly, which makes his grin widen. He opens the passenger side door for the female.

"My lady."

"Thank you, my good sir," the blue-eyed female giggles, and she climbs in. While he walks to the other side of the car, Sonic directs a questioning look towards Amy, who is making no move to get in the car.

"I'm gonna stargaze," she answers with a shrug, and she then floats to the roof of the car and lays back, facing upwards to the clear night sky.

"If that's what you want to do," the blue teen slowly says, his nerves now acting up. What if he starts rambling? Or is unknowingly rude? Amy won't know and won't be able to correct him!

"Sonic the Hedgehog, if I have to reassure you one more time, I am going to knock you into next week with my hammer!" the pink hedgehog glares. "Where's the cocky hedgehog when you actually want him?"

"Eating a chilidog and figuring out how to annoy you next," he immediately quips, and he ducks into the car, not letting her get a chance to reply.

"What's with the grin?" Sally asks curiously, wondering if he's really this excited for their date.

"What? Oh, er, I'm just happy to get food! It's been awhile since I've last been to the place," he winks, missing the brief flash of disappointment on his date's face, and is glad he isn't exactly telling a lie. He really does enjoy _Opal's_ food, and it _has_ been awhile: a whole two weeks. "Well, off we go!" Sonic chuckles nervously as he starts the car.

"So, how was your day?" Sonic asks, not a fan of quiet moments. Especially awkward ones. Thank Chaos the restaurant is only five minutes away!

Meanwhile, the pink spirit on the roof of the car is looking unseeingly up at the sky. Oh, she'd be more than happy to be her best friend's backup, to make sure he stays focused and stays sensitive to Sally's wants, but she has read enough novels and has seen enough real couples to know that's not how romantic relationships are formed. Sally needs to get to know the Sonic-without-Amy, otherwise when the young spirit finally returns to where she belongs, the chipmunk will be left with a different person.

Amy wasn't expecting how hard it would be to let Sonic sink or float on his own, though, and the date has only just started! She's now got a new sense of appreciation for Shadow for not letting her be a third wheel.

"Alright, here we are!" Sonic announces as he parks, and he shuts off the vehicle, anxiously awaiting the chipmunk's reaction.

" _Opal's_ , huh? I haven't been here yet," Sally says, eyeing the cozy-looking building with a smile. A weight seemingly lifts from his shoulders, and he grins at her.

"This is my family's favorite restaurant. It's not exactly classy, but- Eh, you'll see when we get inside." The cobalt-blue hedgehog zips over to open the car door for his date, and he then offers his arm to escort her inside.

As they walk through the front doors, Sally does indeed get what Sonic was trying to say. A decent-sized chandelier lights the lobby, the floorboards are dark mahogany, and the color theme is navy blue, cream, and black. The dining area is spacious and tables are separated far enough to have privacy but close enough to converse if one wishes. The waiters have navy blue long-sleeve shirts with black slacks while the waitresses have knee-length navy blue dresses with black waist aprons. It all ties really well together, and Sally is sure her father, born and raised rich, would even admire the place for its casual elegance.

"Sonic, my dear!" a pink armadillo happily exclaims and walks over to the young couple.

"I bet you Lilly saw your reservation," Amy comments to Sonic with a fond grin.

"Hello, Lilly, how are you?" he greets the family friend.

"I am well, thank you. Who is this gorgeous young lady with you?" she smiles warmly over at the blushing chipmunk.

"Lilly, this is Sally Acorn. Sally, this is the owner and a friend of the family, Lilllian the Armadillo," Sonic introduces.

"You can call me Lilly," the older female tells the younger one as they shake hands.

"Nice to meet you, Lilly."

"No, no. The pleasure is all mine, dear. I saw Sonic made a reservation and I just _had_ to meet his date!" Lilly winks over at the blue teen, who teasingly rolls his eyes.

"I told you!" Amy giggles. She admires Lilly for all the hard work she has put into her restaurant, for maintaining her cheery attitude – Amy can't recall a single time where the older armadillo lost control of her temper, not even when there was a dine-and-dash – and for her dedication to her deceased sister, Opal. The two of them once dreamed of owning and running a restaurant together, but Opal's life was cut short by cancer. Lilly now lives the dream for both of them and has Amy's utmost respect.

"Now, allow me to escort you two to your table." Lilly grabs a couple of menus and leads the couple over to a corner of the place, where it is just a little more quiet and private.

As they follow, Amy keeps her eyes peeled for Shadow. The restaurant is busy, however, so it makes the search that much more difficult. Just as Sonic and Sally reach their table, though, Amy spots a flash of red. She takes a closer look and spots the ebony hedgehog seated four tables away.

"I wonder if he knew where they would be seated," Amy murmurs to herself, not doubting he probably did. She waits for Lilly to finish telling them who their server will be and to call her if they need anything before she goes over to Sonic's side.

"I've found Shadow. Just enjoy your night with Sally, and I'll catch you up on everything later tonight." With an encouraging squeeze to the male's shoulder, and a subtle acknowledging nod from him, Amy heads over to where Shadow is seated.

"Well don't you clean up nice," she remarks as she takes a seat across from him.

"It is more than you can do," he replies, quirking a brow at her.

"Not true. I can if it's gifted to me, remember?" she smiles smugly.

"So what about your bare feet?"

"Hey, shoes are expensive, and what's the point? They won't give me any extra protection nor will I be able to wear them down. So, no shoes."

"I see." By this point, Shadow's food has already arrived. Talk about good timing. "So, are you going to tell me the rest of what I need to know?"

While the agent slowly eats his meal, he listens to all that the young spirit has to tell him. Every now and then she'll glance over to where Sonic and Sally are, and usually she's met with the sight of them happily conversing. She's glad; her Sonic is a good guy.

"Hmm," Shadow hums after she's told him all that she can remember. "The ability to touch things at will is usual with spirits, as is being able to receive gifts, but that is not too common. The void you travel through after the 100-foot distance is passed is unusual, though. The spirits that I've met who traveled where there the instant they brought the image to mind. Tell me, are you able to visit your burial site?"

Amy shift nervously. She hasn't told Sonic; it's only fair that she doesn't tell Shadow either.

"No." The G.U.N. agent eyes her for a few moments before sighing.

"Rose, I can help you only if you tell me everything. There will be no judgement from my side, for even the smallest details can be important."

Amy bites her lip. _'Shoot, put like that…'_

"Just- just don't tell Sonic," she hesitantly says.

"Very well. I will not mention it around him."

"Yes. I can visit my grave, but when I do, I'm aware of where Sonic is and when he needs me." Shadow only nods and doesn't press her for her reasons for keeping it a secret; Something else she appreciates about him.

"Visiting your grave is common among spirits, but the connection you have with Sonic is not."

"And my growing?" Amy asks, twiddling her thumbs.

"That is not normal. Spirits can make themselves appear younger, since that has already happened and they know what they looked like, but they cannot appear older since they have no future to be older in."

"Oh." She figured that was unusual, but she still hoped to not be the only one. Amy looks up to see the ebony hedgehog looking at her curiously. "What?"

"You were the age of seven when you died, correct?" She nods. "You met Sonic three years after that, and he was ten years old?"

"Yes?" she answers hesitantly, not sure where he is going with this.

"Then technically, you are the same age as him. Odd how your body proceeded to grow after you met him," he muses, the gears in his head turning while Amy's mind is blown.

"The same? I'm really… seventeen?!" After the words sink in, it all happens in a second. Amy suddenly feels like an inflating, rising balloon, and she feels constricted until a mighty _RRIIIPPPP_ sounds and she's free again. She blinks, noting Shadow's wide stare and how he doesn't seem quite as tall as he did a moment ago. She then looks down at herself, wondering why she suddenly felt like that.

"EEEEEEKK!" the pink female grabs the tatters that is the remains of her dress and clutches them to herself, trying to cover herself the best she can – thank Chaos her undergarments have elastic! "S-Shadow! What _happened_!"

"You aged," he states, surprise still in his voice. "It is like once you realized you did not look how you should be, you automatically corrected it…"

"Well that's fascinating and all, how about I let you ponder every theory to explain that while I sit here in my _underwear_!" Amy growls, mortified beyond belief. This is _far_ worse than the last time she outgrew her clothing!

"It is not like anyone can see you." She glares at him, not _one bit_ amused. "Alright, fine. What size was that?"

"Five."

"Okay. Meet me at your grave."

"What? B-but what about Sonic? He doesn't know about that!"

"Then tell him we went outside to talk without drawing attention." The ebony male then leaves the table, not giving her a chance to argue.

"Ohhhh, that hedgehog!" she fumes. She takes a glance at Sonic's table, hoping to dear Chaos that he hasn't noticed her situation. For once, she's _never_ been so happy to see him so wrapped up in another person that he's failed to notice her shenanigans!

Taking a deep breath, she closes her eyes and searches for that tug, the tug that makes her feel calm, but alone. She opens her eyes to be greeted by the familiar, dark void, before the scenery of the graveyard comes into sight. She then exhales, relieved to be alone. Sure, only two people can see her, but sitting around in her underwear is awkward as hell, no way around it!

"Rose."

"Eep!" she squeaks, surprised by Shadow's sudden appearance.

"Will this do?" He takes out a dress from a shopping bag and holds it out. At first, she thought it was the same style as her last one, but as she takes a closer look, she realizes it's more mature looking. The dress is the same red with white trimming, but the back is open and the front ties around her neck. The material flows rather than taking its own shape too, which means that if she were to do a little more growing – Chaos _no_ – it would not rip to shreds on her.

"C-can I feel it first?" He rolls his eyes, muttering something like, _'women,'_ under his breath, but he complies nonetheless. Ah, just as she thought; the material will stretch, and it is also thick, so it won't be easy to ruin.

"Yes. This will be just fine." Rather than heading to her grave, however, Shadow goes back to the shopping bag and pulls out a shoe box.

"As I understand it, women like their shoes," he mutters once he sees her baffled look. "and I doubt you'll grow much more now that you're seventeen." He opens the box to reveal a pair of red and white boots that she daresay are pretty cute!

 _"Shadow,"_ she breaths, touched he bought her clothing that obviously wasn't cheap and boots just because he wants her to enjoy them. "Thank you," she smiles, trying to portray just how appreciative she is of this.

He gives her a small smile in return, "You are welcome, Rose." He then lays her clothing on her grave and steps back. Once his foot lifts off her grave, her gifts materialize in her hands.

"Thank you," she says again with a giddy grin. He 'hmphs' and turns around to give her privacy.

The dress flows around her and accents her new curves, and while wearing her boots feels a little more restricted than being barefoot, she can't help but to love their look.

"So," she says, excited but also nervous. "what do you think?" Shadow turns around and analyzes her. Eventually he gives a single nod.

"It is an improvement." She grins in relief.

"I can't wait to see Sonic's face when he- _Sonic_!" she exclaims. "I have to go back before he realizes I'm really not there!"

"Go ahead. I will tell you two tomorrow morning what your training will be."

"Okay, thanks again, Shadow!" she waves goodbye before she lets herself be tugged back, the way that feels like home. She finds herself on the roof of the car, just a couple of minutes away from Sally's house.

"Oh Chaos, that was a close one!" she slumps in relief. She can explain why she wasn't around when they left the restaurant, but she wouldn't have been able to explain why she wasn't around after he dropped Sally off.

The car parks in front of the Acorn house, and Amy stays laying on the roof, trying for the casual look. She sees Sonic glance at her before he goes over to Sally's side to let her out. _Whew_ ; she's in the clear. Normally, she'd be offended as hell by him not immediately noticing her drastic change in appearance, but this time she wants him to assume there is nothing new about her, to focus on getting Sally home before he flips out over her new look, which he will.

"Thank you, Sonic, for dinner. I had a really good time, and I now have a new favorite restaurant!" Sally's giggle breaks through Amy's thoughts, and she turns her head to watch the couple.

"Thanks for agreeing to come, Sal. I had a good time too," Sonic smiles, nervously shuffling his feet. What does he do now? Is he supposed to kiss her? He's not ready for that yet! Not to say that he doesn't want to, but if he screws this all up and-

"Goodnight, Sonic," Sally smiles warmly before leaning up towards him.

 _'Oh Chaos! Does my breath stink? What if this is a test? What if I'm supposed to stop her? What if-'_

Her face tilts to the side of his, and she presses her lips to his cheek. She leans away and turns towards her door.

"G'night," he breaths, unable to stop from touching that tingling spot on his cheek she had just _kissed_. He stands there for another minute after the door has shut before he comes to.

"Ames, did ya see that?" he grins goofily, still a bit dazed.

"Yup." She can't help the bitterness in her voice. She's trying, oh how she is trying, but it's one thing to watch your crush try to pursue a relationship with someone else and it's another to watch him be physically more affectionate with them. For all their sakes, she's really glad the chipmunk only kissed his cheek. She almost got reckless for a second there. Again.

Catching the odd tone in Amy's voice – and something else different sounding? – Sonic finally pays attention to the female spirit. "Ames, wha- _aaaaaaaat?!_ " His emerald eyes widen, stunned by what he's seeing. Just, what?!

"I- Y-You- _How?!_ " he stutters. Amy just grins.

"Boy, does this _'fourteen-year-old'_ have a story for you!"

* * *

 ** _"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek"_ ~  Barack Obama**

 ** _*Holding dismantled shackles*_ Goddamit… _*shouts to my elusive, sadistic muse*_ Fine! This thing will get updated whenever it gets bloody updated!**

 **In other words, see you guys next chapter (whenever that'll be, what with college and all… T_T)**

 **P.S. Go check out _SconnieSA's_ story,  The Sonic Project! This great, underappreciated story has a great storyline, the characters are not OOC, and it gets updated every week! What's not to like? Go on! xD**


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